Veteran Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, whose website Rappler has put President Rodrigo Duterte under tough scrutiny, was convicted of libel on Monday and faces up to six years in jail, in a ruling widely seen as a blow to media freedom.
Ressa, chief executive of Rappler and a former CNN journalist, was charged with “cyber libel” over a 2012 article that linked a businessman to illegal activities, reports Reuters.
After the verdict, Ressa vowed not to be silenced and accused the judiciary of becoming complicit in a campaign to stifle press freedom in the Southeast Asian nation. “We’re at the precipice, if we fall over we’re no longer a democracy,” she told reporters.
The decision fuelled concern over human rights in a country where Duterte’s war on drugs has left thousands dead and he recently renewed a threat to kill drug dealers, despite condemnation in a UN report.
He is soon expected to sign an anti-terrorism law his opponents fear could target them, but which he says is needed to fight extremism.
To the shock of many, leading broadcaster ABS-CBN Corp, which had criticised Duterte, had to stop broadcasts last month after its licence expired.
In handing down the verdict against Ressa, 56, a dual US-Filipino citizen, Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa said the exercise of a freedom “should and must be used with due regard to the freedom of others”. Ressa faced up to six years in jail, the judge said.
Reynaldo Santos, a former Rappler researcher and writer, was also found guilty. Both were granted bail pending an appeal.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte supported freedom of speech and it was a previous admini ..
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