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Statement
January 25, 2008
NUJP will continue to campaign against
criminal libel
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) welcomes the Supreme Court circular urging judges to forgo imprisonment as a punishment for those convicted of libel.
Justice Puno's bold move, one of many he has taken in defense of basic rights and liberties, gives us hope to continue calling on Congress to act on our demand to decriminalize libel.
We note, however, that Chief Justice Reynato Puno's announcement does not remove libel from our criminal statutes or prevent those who want to silence the media from filing cases against journalists.
The NUJP will continue to campaign against criminal libel. We urge our lawmakers not to pass up this chance to strengthen press freedom and democracy.
References:
Joe Torres Jr., NUJP chair
Rowena Paraan, NUJP Secretary-General