Philippines’ journalist Maria Ressa freed on bail

Maria Ressa, a high-profile Philippines journalist and Time magazine Person of the Year, was freed on bail on Thursday after her arrest overnight on charges of "cyber-libel" drew international condemnation.

Ressa is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Editor of news website Rappler which is critical of the government of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The journalist posted bail of 100,000 pesos ($1,900) after she was accused of libel for an article published in 2012 - four months before the law under which she is accused was enacted.

Ressa has been accused of "cyber-libel" over a sevenyear-old report on businessman Wilfredo Keng's links to illegal drugs and human trafficking. The charges against her carry a potential 12 years in prison, the BBC reported.

"The message is clear. It's an abuse of power, it's a weaponisation of the law. Another line was crossed but if they wanted to scare me, this isn't the way to scare me," Ressa said.

Activists and press freedom groups around the world criticised the Rappler CEO's detention. Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called it an "outrageous" arrest that "must be condemned by all democratic nations".

Human rights group Amnesty International said the Duterte government was using legal threats to "relentlessly intimidate and harass" journalists.

On Wednesday evening, Ressa was in the Rappler newsroom when plain-clothed officers from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) entered to hand-deliver her arrest warrant.

Although the order was signed by a judge on Tuesday, the authorities handed the document to her in the evening when most of the courts were about to close, therefore reducing the likelihood of posting bail.

A judge then refused the posting of bail, forcing her to spend the night in custody.

The Department of Justice presented cyber libel charges against Rappler, Ressa as its CEO and journalist Reynaldo Santos for the story on businessman Keng.

Three prosecutors from the Justice Department ruled last month in favour of Keng, who in October 2017 filed a complaint against Rappler's story.