(CNN) International human rights lawyers Amal Clooney and Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC will lead a legal team representing Maria Ressa, the award-winning Philippines journalist who has been repeatedly arrested this year on charges that critics say are designed to silence her.

"It is clear that the government is manipulating the law to muzzle and intimidate one of its most credible media critics," said the Committee to Protect Journalists after her arrest in March.

"Maria Ressa is a courageous journalist who is being persecuted for reporting the news and standing up to human rights abuses. We will pursue all available legal remedies to vindicate her rights and defend press freedom and the rule of law in the Philippines," Clooney said in a press statement released by London-based law firm Doughty Street Chambers announcing the relationship.

Ressa is the cofounder and editor of online news site Rappler, which has gained prominence for its unflinching coverage of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and his brutal war on drugs. She has been indicted multiple times on libel and tax evasion charges that critics have described as designed to silence independent media in the southeast Asian country. She worked for CNN before starting Rappler.

In an op-ed published this year by Columbia Journalism Review , Ressa accused Duterte of leading a systematic campaign against news organizations in the Philippines, and against herself personally.