--- description: Journalist Maria Ressa, founder of the news site Rappler, was arrested Wednesday in the Philippines on charges of "cyber libel" title: Journalist Maria Ressa Arrested for 'Cyber Libel' in the Philippines image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32ee9f9f10b457a9/6989450f16d8848affc349e2/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Philippines](/tag/philippines/) ## Philippines Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Journalist Maria Ressa Arrested for 'Cyber Libel' in the Philippines  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:56 AM CUTPublished: Feb 13, 2019 1:17 PM CUT  Journalist Maria Ressa speaks to the media as she arrives at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters after her arrest in Manila on Feb. 13, 2019. Journalist Maria Ressa speaks to the media as she arrives at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters after her arrest in Manila on Feb. 13, 2019.Ted Aljibe—AFP/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:56 AM CUTPublished: Feb 13, 2019 1:17 PM CUT Journalist [Maria Ressa](http://time.com/5475492/maria-ressa-rappler-person-of-the-year-2018/ "undefined"), founder of the news website Rappler, was arrested Wednesday in the Philippines on [charges of “cyber libel”](http://time.com/5524361/maria-ressa-rappler-cyber-libel-charges/ "undefined") that are widely seen as a [crackdown](http://time.com/longform/press-freedom-southeast-asia/ "undefined") on the site’s reporting. Law enforcement officers from the National Bureau of Investigation arrested Ressa at Rappler’s office in Manila on Wednesday evening, [Rappler reported](https://www.rappler.com/nation/223411-maria-ressa-arrested-for-cyber-libel-february-2019 "undefined"). The charges were filed by the Philippine Department of Justice over a May 2012 story about businessman Wilfredo Keng and his alleged links to illegal drugs and human trafficking. The Cybercrime Prevention Act — a controversial law that prompted fears of censorship because it made online libel a crime punishable by up to 12 years in jail — was enacted months later in September 2012. Rappler has covered the [violent drug war](http://time.com/philippines-drug-war/ "undefined") of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has banned Rappler from covering presidential events and called the site “fake news.” Ressa appeared on one of the covers of [TIME’s 2018 Person of the Year issue](http://time.com/person-of-the-year-2018-the-guardians/ "undefined") in December, along with three other journalists and one news organization. In an [interview with TIME](http://time.com/5524361/maria-ressa-rappler-cyber-libel-charges/ "undefined") last week, Ressa called the new charges against her “laughable.” Human rights organizations have also condemned the Philippine government for a “chilling campaign of repression, obstruction and intimidation.” “It is part of the same government effort to try to make Rappler toe the line, which is, ‘You shouldn’t be reporting on the drug war. You should be reporting how wonderful our country is today.’ It is just not what we do,” Ressa told TIME last week. “I want to face this — because the more ludicrous the cases are, the clearer it is that these are tools that are being used to try to silence us.” > [](https://twitter.com/LeanneJazul/status/1095659870110371843) > [](https://twitter.com/sofiatomacruz/status/1095625607465955329) She also faces [charges of tax evasion](http://time.com/5451765/philippines-maria-ressa-tax-evasion-charges/ "undefined") that carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Duterte’s spokesperson has previously denied that those charges were politically motivated. “The Philippine government’s legal harassment of Rappler and Ressa has now reached a critical and alarming juncture,” Shawn Crispin, senior Southeast Asia representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement. “We call on Filipino authorities to immediately release Ressa, drop this spurious cyber libel charge, and cease and desist this campaign of intimidation aimed at silencing Rappler.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5528416/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5528416/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel/"},"headline":"Journalist Maria Ressa Arrested for 'Cyber Libel' in the Philippines","datePublished":"2019-02-13T13:17:40.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T00:56:50.000Z","description":"\"These are tools that are being used to try to silence us,\" she said last week","url":"https://time.com/5528416/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel/","keywords":["Philippines","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32ee9f9f10b457a9/6989450f16d8848affc349e2/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32ee9f9f10b457a9/6989450f16d8848affc349e2/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"PHILIPPINES-PRESS-COURT-RESSA","caption":"Journalist Maria Ressa speaks to the media as she arrives at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters","creditText":"Ted Aljibe—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/philippines/","name":"Philippines"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5528416/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel/","name":"Journalist Maria Ressa Arrested for 'Cyber Libel' in the Philippines"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME 2018 Person of the Year: The Guardians and the War on Truth, Maria Ressa","description":"TIME 2018 Person of the Year: The Guardians and the War on Truth, Maria Ressa","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/rRu2pnTy/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-12-11T13:49:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rRu2pnTy.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5528416/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel/","duration":"PT59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5528416/maria-ressa-arrested-cyber-libel/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```