Maria Ressa's arrest part of drive to silence Duterte critics —HRW

A human rights group on Thursday said that the arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is part of President Rodrigo Duterte administration's campaign to harass and silence critics.

In a statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Ressa's "persecution" is part of a broader campaign to intimidate media people to silence.

Also, the HRW said the cases filed against Ressa and online news outfit Rappler are directed at shutting down the media outfit.

“The administration, its social media trolls, and government propagandists have launched repeated attacks against Rappler and its staffers, at one point banning one of its reporters, Pia Ranada, from covering the presidential premises,” the HRW said.

Moreover, it said this administration’s campaign is harassing and silencing its critics not only in media but also in the legislature, the judiciary, civil society, and the Roman Catholic Church.

“The Duterte administration’s attacks on such a globally prominent news outlet demand a global response,” it added.

On Wednesday, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrested Duterte’s vocal critic Ressa for a cyber-libel complaint filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng over an article that Rappler published in 2012.

Ressa’s Rappler was known for scrutinizing Duterte’s war on drugs, which has allegedly killed thousands of suspected drug users and peddlers.

“Governments concerned about the thousands killed in the ‘drug war’ and the media’s ability to report on this and other abuses need to publicly demand Ressa’s release and the dropping of all charges,” HRW said. —Joviland Rita/LBG, GMA News