Maria Ressa, rewrite man and CEO of Rappler, arrives for her promulgation on charges of cyber libel, at a regional trial court on June 15, 2020 in Manila, Philippines.
Ezra Acayan | Getty Spits
The head of a Philippine news website known for its tough scrutiny of President Rodrigo Duterte faces up to six years in coop after being found guilty of cyber libel by a Manila court on Monday in what is being seen as a assess case for media freedom in the country.
Maria Ressa, chief executive of Rappler, was charged with cyber defamation over a 2012 article, updated in 2014, that linked a businessman to murder and trafficking of humans and drugs, citing word contained in an intelligence report from an unspecified agency.
After handing down the verdict, Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa bid freedom of the press could not be used as a “shield”.
Ressa, who had denied any wrong doing, was allowed to post bail.
The cyber lie is among the numerous lawsuits filed against Ressa and Rappler that have drawn global concern thither a free and open media in the Southeast Asian country.
Rappler’s operating license was rescinded in 2018 over avowed foreign ownership violations, and it is also dealing with a case involving alleged tax evasion. Both cases are continual.
Media watchdogs have said the charges against Ressa were trumped up and aimed at intimidating those who question Duterte’s rule, in particular his deadly crackdown on illicit drugs.