She has been appointed to the ”person of the year” by Time magazine and has been known as a fearless critic of the philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. In the week was Maria Messa arrested by plainclothes police officers inside the headquarters of Rappler, the onlinetidning that Messa has been founded. Messa was accused of nätförtal in connection with an article which was written seven years ago about a businessman who is allegedly linked to drug dealing.
But most see the arrest as part of a tougher media climate in the Philippines, where the regime is trying to intimidate critical journalists into silence. For Ressa is no doubt that the arrest was political. The law cited in her arrest began to apply the first four months after the article about us was published, she pointed out.
as a Ressa has been detained by the philippine police. This time, she became, like the others, released on bail. Earlier suspicions have concerned, inter alia, tax evasion. But much speaks for the fact that there are Rappers journalism that lies behind the constant uppvaktandet from the police. Rappler is one of the few critical voices in the increasingly kvästa the media landscape in the Philippines.
in Particular have a Rappler distinguished itself as a blowtorch against the president of the Dutertes controversial drogkrig, that in the last three years have taken an estimated 5,000 people’s lives. Rappler has also, to the president’s irritation, made its mission to regularly check the veracity of the claims that will from Duterte. This type of reporting does not fall in the good soil of the regime. ”Fake news”, Duterte utbrustit on Trumpspråk and lamented that it is written too little about the good things he has accomplished.
feel on the clamp-down and in the Reporters without borders ranking of press freedom last year, the ports of the Philippines on the unflattering spot 133 of 180 countries. At the same time lists the CPJ, Committee to protect journalists, Philippines as the fifth most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Since 1986, 186 journalists have been murdered in the country.
But Duterte seems not to be particularly concerned about the development. His comments about the more aggressive the media climate a few years ago attracted a lot of attention. Some of the journalists deserve nothing else, ” he explained.
– You are not being killed if you haven’t done anything wrong, said the president.
Regarding the arrest of Ressa has Dutertes spokesperson denied that it has any politics to do. Ressa is for sure though.
the Message from government is very clear – be quiet or it’s your turn next time, ” she said after being released on bail, and urged the people to not be silent.
Himself she lets herself not be induced.
” If they wanted to scare me, is not this the right way, she said.
