In the Philippines, the government-critical editor-in-chief of an online news portal is free again after one-day police custody. The journalist Maria Ressa from the website Rappler was released on bail today in the capital Manila.
The federal police NBI charges the 55-year-old with having a report on the Internet slandered a businessman. Ressa considers the investigation politically motivated. The government of President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed the allegations.
The Rappler boss is one of the most prominent journalists in the Southeast Asian country. The online portal claims to be the third largest news site in the Philippines. Because of her criticism, she had repeatedly suffered Duttertes displeasure. Your reporters are no longer allowed in the presidential palace. The US news magazine „Time“ awarded her in 2018 as one of the „Person of the Year“.
