Boss of Rappler News Website Heads to Police HQ in Manila After Arrest Warrant Issued
The CEO of news site Rappler was served with an arrest warrant at the company’s headquarters in Pasig City, Philippines, on February 13, “charged with violating the country’s cybercrime law,” according to a statement from the news organization.
Video livestreamed to Rappler’s official Facebook page shows the moment after chief executive Maria Ressa was issued the warrant by officers from the Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation.
Ressa has been charged with “cyber libel” related to a 2012 story about businessman Wilfredo Keng. She briefly responded to reporters’ questions before leaving the building to present herself to police. In its statement, Rappler said that the story was published four months before the law that Ressa is accused of breaking was enacted.
In this video, Ressa walks through the a gaggle of reporters in the newsroom. She can be heard saying, “We’ll go to the NBI. It’s a shock, but we’re going” and encouraging those in attendance to accompany her to police headquarters in Manila.
Rappler has been a vocal critic of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. In 2018, Amnesty International said that the Duterte administration had targeted Rappler. It described Ressa’s treatment as harassment.
Ressa was detained and was to remain at the National Bureau of Investigation overnight after a night court refused to process her bail, according to reports.
“If somehow the government feels that by keeping me the night, they can intimidate me, no, we will hold the line,” she told reporters. Credit: Rappler via Storyful
