INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) decried on Friday the rebellion charges filed against Northern Dispatch’s (Nordis) Ilocos correspondent Niño Joseph Oconer.
According to community news outlet Nordis, Oconer, along with six activists and development workers, face rebellion charges after the military implicated them in a clash with the New People’s Army on October 27, 2022.
READ: Abra court orders arrest of 9 activists in Northern Luzon
“The NUJP deems this incident as the latest in a series of judicial harassment and other forms of attacks against community media outlet Northern Dispatch,” said the group.
This was not the first time that the news outlet came under fire in the law.
Nordis editor Kimberlie Ngabit Quitasol and her reporter Khim Abalos faced cyberlibel charges, which the Regional Trial Court in Benguet dismissed in April 2022 due to insufficient evidence.
READ: Benguet court junks cyberlibel rap vs 2 community journalists
“These persistent attacks not only violate the media outfit’s right to exercise press freedom but also violate the marginalized communities’ rights to communication and access to information,” said the NUJP.
The group also called for the dismissal of the charges, and called upon media personnel to stand with Nordis and other community news outlets.
“Resist all attempts to intimidate and silence us,” said the NUJP.
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