ON JUNE 15, prominent Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was found guilty of cyber libel by a Manila court. She faces up to six years in prison and was fined 400,000 Philippine pesos ($8,000 USD). Ressa was convicted with Reynaldo Santos Jr., both of whom worked at Rappler, a news site Ressa founded.
According to The Hill, Santos originally wrote the story that led to him and Ressa being arrested (Ressa is the CEO of Rappler).
The story detailed former chief justice Renato Corona’s alleged links to businessman Wilfredo Keng, who was claimed to have ties to illegal drugs, human trafficking and murder. The BBC adds that President Rodrigo Duterte and his supporters have accused her and Rappler of spreading fake news.
The New York Times notes that critics of the decision believe that Ressa’s conviction is a blow to freedom of the press.
After the hearing, Ressa said in a
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