Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Note: The following statement protesting contempt charges by the Philippine Court of Appeals against Filipino journalist Rowena Paraan and Monette Salaysay in connection with the 2009 Maguindanao massacre was issued May 30 by Dart Centre Asia Pacific Fellows:

We, journalists from across Asia and the Pacific who make up the fellows of the second Dart Centre Fellowship, join calls for the Philippine Court of Appeals to drop contempt charges against fellowship faculty member Rowena Paraan and Monette Salaysay, widow of journalist Napoleon Salaysay, for comments they made regarding the bid of one of the principals accused in the massacre of 58 persons, including 32 media workers, on November 23, 2009.

While we respect the judiciary’s right to protect its dignity, we believe Paraan and Salaysay were engaging in a valid exercise of their right to free expression in pursuit of justice and thus fall within fair comment. To silence them with a contempt citation would send a chilling message to all those who would see justice done for this most grievous crime and further bolster the impunity with which the civil and human rights of many Filipinos continue to be violated.



We, the Dart Fellows, are disappointed at the targeted charges on Paraan, a respected Filipino journalist and media rights advocate, and Salaysay. 

We trust that the justices of the Court of Appeals possess the wisdom to recognize that free speech and free expression, even if contentious, are essential to democracy.



We, the Dart Fellows, reaffirm our support for Paraan and Salaysay and reiterate the value of a free press in a fair and democratic society.

Signed,

IQBAL KHATTAK
, bureau chief, Daily Times, Peshawar 
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT, senior reporter, Bangkok Post

AMANTHA PERERA, foreign correspondent, Sri Lanka

GARY TIPPET, senior writer, The Age and Sunday Age Melbourne, Australia; director, Dart Centre Asia Pacific

MS. CAIT MCMAHON, 
managing director, Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma Asia Pacific

JOSE JAIME ‘Nonoy’ ESPINA, senior editor, InterAksyon.com; director, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines;  returning fellow, second Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma-Asia Pacific Fellowship (2011) and 
fellow, first Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma-Australasia Fellowship (2009)

CHERELLE JACKSON, editor of Environment Weekly; founder of the Pacific Alliance of Development Journalists

KEVIN FRAYER, 
chief photographer, Associated Press
, South Asia-New Delhi

BRUCE SHAPIRO, 
executive director, 
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York

CHONG-AE LEE, senior reporter,  Future & Vision Desk, SBS Seoul, Korea

CHARITEL A. RAMOS, M.D.
, psychiatrist, 
Christian Medical Specialists,  Manila

YASIN DAR,  photographer,  Associated Press, Kashmir

KAJALIE SHEHREEN ISLAM, 
in-charge, Forum, The Daily Star; lecturer, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Dhaka
,  Bangladesh

TAMANNA KHAN, feature writer, Star Magazine; The Daily Star, Bangladesh

RANEE MOHAMED, features editor
, Sunday Leader, 
Sri Lanka

SURYAWIJAYANTI, reporter
, KBR68H, 
Indonesia

DAVID DIZON, Nation Section Editor
, ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, 
Quezon City, Philippines

LISA McKAY, psychologist, Laos