[From the web] Congratulations, Maria and Rappler. You have made the country proud | LnM
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Congratulations, Maria and Rappler. You have made the country proud
Laban ng Masa joins the country in celebrating Maria Ressa’s being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Russian journalist Dimitry Muratov. Maria and the news and opinion outlet she headed up, Rappler, have been in the forefront of the defense of freedom of the press. For continuing to expose the crimes of the Duterte regime, Ressa and Rappler were subjected to legal persecution and attempts at political annihilation and economic asphyxiation by the administration.
In the midst of its troubles, which included jailing Maria Ressa, Rappler continued to expose the myriad violations of human and democratic rights, even as many other news agencies lapsed into silence or into unformal compromises with the regime. Aside from uncovering the truth and exposing fake news, Rappler also served as valued outlet for voices critical of the government. Laban ng Masa always found Rappler a ready outlet for the views expressed by a number of our members, including our National Chairman Walden Bello, whom Rappler invited to serve as a regular contributor.
Over the last five years Rappler has collected a huge volume of evidence on the thousands of extra-judicial executions carried out by the police and the military under the orders of Duterte. This will serve as an invaluable resource for the prosecution and, hopefully, the conviction of Duterte for crimes against humanity both within the national legal system and the International Criminal Court.
Congratulations, Maria and Rappler. You have made the country proud.
Human Rights Online Philippines 