Media groups slam arrest, ask for charges against Maria Ressa to be dropped

Maria Ressa - Reuters

PETALING JAYA: International and local media groups have criticised the arrest of veteran Philippine journalist Maria Ressa (pic), and are urging that the cyber libel case against her news site Rappler be dropped.

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (Wan-Ifra) described the arrest of Ressa, a journalist who has written critically of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, as “a despicable escalation on what was already an outrageous charge”.