As academic, activist, and author Walden Bello was released on bail in the Philippines on August 9, progressives around the world denounced his arrest for alleged “cyber libel” as “politically motivated” and called for the charges to be “dropped immediately.”

In this article in Common Dreams, IPS Senior Advisor John Cavanagh spoke about the implications of a libel lawsuit against longtime ally Walden Bello:

“In pursuing a spurious libel suit against Walden, the dictator’s son [Bongbong Marcos] and his vice president, Sara Duterte, are opening a hornet’s nest. They are offering Walden a microphone to educate the public about the Marcos family’s fleecing of his country and abuse of human rights there. They picked the wrong person to go after.”

Read the full article in Common Dreams.

John Cavanagh was Director of the Institute for Policy Studies from 1999-2021, and is now a Senior Advisor at IPS. He directed IPS’ Global Economy Program from 1983-1997. Cavanagh is the co-author of 12 books and numerous articles on a wide range of social and economic issues.

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