The award-winning head of a Philippine news website known for its tough scrutiny of President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Wednesday on libel charges, the latest in a series of legal cases against perceived adversaries of the government.
Maria Ressa, chief executive of Rappler, is accused of cyber libel over a 2012 article, updated in 2014, that linked a businessman to murder and trafficking of humans and drugs, citing information contained in an intelligence report from an unspecified agency.
National Bureau of Investigation officers escorted Ressa through a phalanx of media that poured into the Manila office of Rappler when news of the agents' arrival went viral on social media.