‘Red-tagging’ of journalists looms over Philippine elections
As Philippine presidential candidates wind up their campaigns before the May 9 election, journalists in the country are demanding that whoever succeeds President Rodrigo Duterte put an end to “red tagging” – the labeling of individuals as rebels or supporters of the communist insurgency – that helped put their colleague Frenchiemae Cumpio behind bars. Cumpio, the 23-year-old executive director…
Hold the Line Coalition condemns 16 new legal complaints against Maria Ressa and Rappler
Ahead of national elections in the Philippines on May 9, the State has stepped up its attacks on Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and the news outlet she leads, Rappler. “This dramatic escalation in the legal harassment of Maria Ressa and Rappler highlights the urgent need for the Philippines’ to decriminalize libel and do away with laws…
Despite long legal battle, alleged mastermind behind murder of courageous Filipino journalist still at large
Amsterdam, February 28, 2022 – Substantial flaws were found in the legal procedures in the case of murdered Filipino journalist Gerry Ortega, A Safer World For The Truth finds in its latest investigation. The report also finds that the alleged mastermind of Ortega’s murder, former governor of Palawan province Joel T. Reyes, still exerts considerable…
Philippine anti-communist task force threatens Rappler with legal action
Bangkok, February 8, 2022 – Philippine authorities must drop their legal threats against the independent news outlet Rappler and allow the press to work without fear of legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Saturday, February 5, Lorraine Marie T. Badoy, a spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist…
Three Philippine media outlets face latest in a string of cyberattacks
Three Philippine news websites, ABS-CBN News, Rappler, and Vera Files, publicized separate distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks between December 11 and 23, 2021. The attacks flood websites with requests to prevent them from functioning, and the sites were periodically forced offline by huge spikes in traffic coinciding with political news coverage. All three sites have been…
Why the UN’s push for a cybercrime treaty could imperil journalists simply for using the internet
Cybercrime is on the global agenda as a United Nations committee appointed to develop a treaty on the topic plans for its first meeting amid pandemic-related delays. The process is slated to take at least two years, but experts warn that such a treaty – initially proposed by Russia – could hand new tools to…
Jesus Malabanan, reporter who covered Duterte drug war, killed in the Philippines
Bangkok, December 9, 2021 – Philippine authorities should conduct a rapid and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Jesus “Jess” Malabanan and swiftly bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 6 p.m. yesterday, unidentified assailants on a motorcycle shot Malabanan in the head while he was watching…
New libel complaint against Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa
New York, December 7, 2021 – As Maria Ressa flies to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, the #HoldtheLine Coalition has condemned ongoing State-linked legal harassment of the Nobel Laureate after new libel complaints were filed against Ressa’s Rappler and six other news organizations – by a senior member of the Philippine cabinet. The complaints…
Ahead of Nobel Prize, #HoldTheLine Coalition Demands Charges Against Maria Ressa be Dropped
New York, December 2, 2021 – One week ahead of the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony, the #HoldtheLine Coalition calls on the government of the Philippines to drop all pending cases and charges against veteran journalist and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and grant her unrestricted permission to travel to Oslo to accept this prestigious international…