Staff Correspondent

Twenty-four leading editors and media executives from 20 countries yesterday called on the Philippine authorities to end their “campaign of harassment and intimidation” of Maria A Ressa, the chief executive officer and executive editor of Philippines-based online news site Rappler.

Issuing a statement, the editors and media executives -- all executive board members of International Press Institute (IPI) where Ressa is a fellow member -- condemned the continued legal harassment of Maria Ressa and expressed solidarity with her.

Ressa faces a verdict on April 3 in a politically motivated “cyber-libel” trial. She faces up to 12 years in prison in the case, one of 11 criminal complaints against her, reads the statement.

The 11 cases filed against Ressa are an attempt to silence her and shut down Rappler in retaliation for its critical coverage on President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration, it says.

“The harassment of Rappler is part of a larger assault on press freedom in Philippines under President Duterte,” it adds.

Maria Ressa is a journalist and editor of the highest calibre. She and Rappler, the recipient of 2018 IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award, have displayed great courage in defending press freedom and continuing to deliver quality news in the public interest, it says.

The ongoing cyber-libel trial against her must end with an acquittal, the editors and media executives said in the statement.

The offence of cyber-libel should be repealed to ensure it will not be abused against journalists in the future, they said in the statement.

“We call on the Philippine authorities to drop all other charges against Maria Ressa and Rappler, ensure that all attacks -- online and offline -- against journalists are investigated, and stop all forms of harassment and intimidation against the media.”

The signatories include Beata Balogová, editor-in-chief, SME, Slovakia; Ole Kristian Bjellaanes, managing editor, Norwegian News Agency, Norway; Woosuk Kenneth Choi, editor, Chosun Ilbo, South Korea; John Daniszewski, vice president, Standards, Editor at Large The Associated Press, USA; Monika Eigensperger, director of radio, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), Austria; Stephen Gitagama, group CEO, Nation Media Group, Kenya; Kadri Gürsel, chair, IPI Turkey National Committee, Turkey; Sami El Haj, head, Human Rights and Public Liberties Desk, Aljazeera Media Network, Qatar; Kim Fletcher, editor, The British Journalism Review, UK; Johannes Hano, bureau chief, ZDF German Television (New York/Canada), Germany; David Jordan, director, Editorial Policy, BBC, UK; Hiroshi Komatsu, editor-in-chief, The Mainichi Shimbun, Japan; Daoud Kuttab, director general, Community Media Network, and founder, AmmanNet, Jordan; Wada Maida, chairman, People’s Media Limited, Nigeria; Riyad Mathew, editor, Malayala Manorama and The Week, India; Kaius Niemi, senior editor-in-chief, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland; Khadija Patel, editor-in-chief, Mail and Guardian, South Africa; Virginia Pérez Alonso, deputy editor-in-chief, Publico.es, and chair, Platform for the Defence of Free Expression (PDLI), Spain; Markus Spillmann, founder and CEO, SPILLMANN Media Strategy Management GmbH, Switzerland; Martha Steffens, professor, SABEW Chair in Business and Financial Reporting, University of Missouri School of Journalism, USA; Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher, The Daily Star, Bangladesh; John Yearwood, deputy editor, Politico, USA; and Zaffar Abbas, editor, Dawn newspaper, Pakistan.