Sen. Schatz Comments on Journalist’s Arrest

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, on the arrest of journalist Maria Ressa in the Philippines.

“I am deeply concerned by reports that journalist Maria Ressa has been arrested on trumped-up charges in the Philippines. These charges should immediately be dropped and Ms. Ressa should be free to go about her work. Instead of trying to silence journalists who are accurately reporting the news, the Filipino government should focus on protecting democracy and defending the country’s constitution, including its commitment to a free press.

“I also call on the U.S. government to condemn this arrest and stop giving cover to strongmen who want to erode press freedom.”

News sources report that award-winning journalist Ressa was arrested on on Feb. 13 at the headquarters of Rappler, the news outlet she runs in the Philippines. This is the latest of ongoing legal attacks on the journalist by President Rodrigo Duterte’s government.