A HUMAN rights defender who allegedly received threatening messages on her Facebook account from supporters of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte has filed a complaint at the Department of Justice on Monday.
Renee Julienne Karunungan, 26, said supporters of the Davao City mayor have been cyberbullying her after she posted a meme on her social media account that said that Duterte is a "lazy choice."
After she posted the meme, Karunungan said pro-Duterte Facebook users messaged her and bombarded her with death threats.
She allegedly received messages on her account wishing her dead, get raped, or that her family gets massacred.
Karunungan said that online threats of murder, rape, serious physical injuries are not a laughing matter and constitute crimes under the Revised Penal Code, Cybercrime Law and Omnibus Election Code.
"My rights offline are the same as my rights online. There is a difference between freedom of speech and speech that incites violence. It is time that people know that difference," she said.
Aside from the complaints before the DOJ, Karunungan said she will also file case before the Commission on Elections for separate election offenses against Duterte's supporters behind the threats. (Sunnex)