Maria Ressa Convicted of Libel

MANILA — A court in the Philippines on Monday convicted Maria Ressa, a veteran journalist and outspoken critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, of cyber libel, in the latest blow to press freedoms in the country.

The decision stems from a 2017 case filed against Ms. Ressa by prosecutors after a businessman disputed an article that he said inaccurately linked him to a top-level judge and tied him to the drug world. But the case was portrayed by Ms. Ressa and her news outlet, Rappler, as the Duterte administration’s latest attempt to brush back freedom of the press.

The court declared Rappler, the company, to have no liability. Ms. Ressa and Rappler employee Reynaldo Santos were both sentenced to between six months and up to six years over the charges. It is not clear whether they will go to prison, because the court may yet allow them to post bail.

Speaking last week by telephone, Ms. Ressa denied the charges and said they were an attempt to silence Rappler, which has been critical of Mr. Duterte and his bloody crackdown on drug dealers and users. “Corrupt, coerce, co-opt. You’re with us or against us,” she said. “If I’m convicted, then it’s codified into law.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/business/maria-ressa-verdict-philippines-rappler.html