In yet another blow to press freedom in the Philippines, veteran journalist Maria Ressa was found guilty of cyber libel charges amid concerns of diminishing democratic freedoms in the country.
On Monday, June 15, just three days after Philippine Independence Day, Ressa, Executive Editor and CEO of Philippine news organisation Rappler, along with co-accused Reynaldo Santos, a former Rappler researcher and writer, were convicted.
The Manila Regional Trial Court sentenced the two journalists to six months and one day to up to six years in jail, and ordered them to pay P400,000 in moral damages and exemplary damages. Ressa and Santos posted bail and plan to appeal the decision.
The case garnered global attention, as human rights observers raised concerns of attacks on press freedom and democracy under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. The conviction comes just weeks after the country’s largest media broadcaster, ABS-CBN, was shut down by the government.
"To the Filipinos watching, this is not just about Rappler or about us. This is about you. Because freedom of the press is the foundation of every single right you have as a Filipino citizen," Ressa said after the decision, in an emotional address to the press.
Ressa said it was important to keep vigilant, citing other questionable policies of the government, particularly an anti-terror bill that zoomed through Congress last week in record time and is awaiting Duterte’s signature for it to become law. The bill is seen as a repression tool and may be used to silence government critics by tagging them as terrorists.
"We are at the precipice. If we fall over, we're no longer a democracy,” Ressa said. “This kind of grey area... if we go too far, we get slammed. Let's not play the game. Are we a democracy or not?"
The conviction of Ressa follows years of threats against Rappler by the President, who accused the news site of spreading fake news for its critical reporting against the administration, including Duterte's brutal drug war that has killed thousands. The court however, declared Rappler to have no liability in this particular case.
The cyber libel case was filed by Wilfredo Keng, a businessman who was the subject of a May 2012 article. The article reported on Keng’s alleged ties to former chief justice Renato Corona, and cited an intelligence report about Keng’s links to drugs and human trafficking.
Ressa and Rappler are facing seven other charges spanning from a tax evasion case to libel. Ressa has vowed to challenge the decision and all other cases against her.
“Don’t be afraid. If you don’t use your rights, you will lose them,” she said. “We shouldn’t be voluntarily giving up our rights. We will fight.”
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