THE COLLEGE of Mass Communications of the University of the Philippines urged the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict to stop red-tagging students.

It also called for the release of Lady Ann Salem, a UP Broadcast Communication graduate, who was arrested on December 10.

“We strongly advise NTF-ELCAC to stop red-tagging our students and graduates! Seven months ago, we admonished NTF-ELCAC and Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr. for baselessly accusing as a communist front one of our student organizations, the Union of Journalists of the Philippines (UJP)-UP Diliman,” the group said in a statement.

“We rage against red-tagging in the same way that we worry about one of our own. We cannot stay silent as blatant human rights violations hit closer and closer to home, on the very day that we are supposed to commemorate International Human Rights Day,” it added.

The arrest of Salem came nine days after the entire network of AlterMidya was red-tagged at a Senate hearing by NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Allen Capuyan.

Salem works for the alternative news media organizations Tudla Productions and Manila Today.