New York Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has withdrawn 46 criminal libel suits he had filed against 11 journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed todays news but said the suits should never have been brought.
Withdrawal of the caseswhich came because Arroyo was grateful for surviving a delicate open-heart surgery with a very low survival rate according to todays government announcementshows the cavalier attitude with which the cases were brought in the first place.
In total, Arroyo had sought damages in excess of 70 million pesos (US$1.4 million), according to news reports. Many of the cases were related to allegations in the media that Arroyo helped rig the closely contested 2004 electionsa charge he strongly denied. Penalties for criminal libel convictions in the Philippines also include imprisonment of six months to six years.
Launching multiple lawsuits against professional journalists was a clear sign that those in power wanted use the countrys legal system to harass journalists who dared challenge the Arroyo administration, said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
In December, 36 journalists filed a counter lawsuit against Arroyo, accusing him of harassing the countrys media. That case is pending. Libel complaints are a favorite tactic of Philippine officials unhappy with critical media coverage. In response to politicians use of criminal libel suits, a coalition of more than 600 journalists and 30 local and foreign international media freedom organizations issued a joint petition calling for decriminalization of libel.
CPJ is a New Yorkbased, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org.
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