Maria Ressa
The Hold the Line Coalition, comprised of over 80 organisations around the world including APC, welcomes the verdict acquitting Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and her news outlet Rappler on the final criminal tax charge levelled against them by the regime of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
APC and other members of the Hold the Line Coalition condemn the Philippine Court of Appeals decision to uphold the conviction of Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos Jr. on trumped-up charges of cyber libel.
APC and other members of the Hold the Line Coalition condemn the shutdown order against Maria Ressa's Rappler media group, approved by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission this week.
APC and the more than 80 other organisations that comprise the Coalition welcome the dismissal of a cyber-libel charge against Rappler CEO and founder Maria Ressa in the Philippines – the second spurious charge against Ressa to be dropped in just two months.
The #HoldTheLine Coalition demands the Philippines authorities drop a barrage of bogus tax and foreign ownership cases against internationally celebrated journalist Maria Ressa and Rappler – the news organisation she founded.
As advocates of human rights and communication rights, FMA stands by press freedom and free speech as fundamental to civil liberty, especially at a time when the very foundations of democracy are under threat.