The arrest followed a complaint by the PNGFA that Act Now shared a social media post advertising a talkback show featuring the Authority, which included an image of the managing director allegedly published without his consent.

Act Now has been a leading voice against illegal and unsustainable logging and has published detailed reports on the issue over several years.

Forest crime is recognised as a significant problem in PNG by numerous international and national bodies, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Interpol, the Bank of PNG, PNG's Financial Action Task Force, and the Internal Revenue Commission.

The organisation strongly believes the charges against Tanago represent massive overreach by the PNGFA and an unwarranted attempt to intimidate and silence public debate on a critical national and international issue.

Act Now maintains that its social media post contained nothing defamatory and that republishing a poster with an image widely available online cannot be considered criminal.

In response to the charges, Act Now is calling on prime minister James Marape to condemn the PNGFA's actions and remind public servants to exercise common sense and proper judgment before filing police complaints.

It is also calling on PNG's development partners, including the UN and diplomatic missions, to emphasise the importance of upholding international commitments to free speech and an open society, and to request withdrawal of the charges against Tanago.

Act Now reports that these charges are not an isolated incident.

This year alone, Act Now has faced two other lawsuits from logging companies attempting to prevent the publication and distribution of reports about their activities.