Union says verdict against Rappler editor and a writer ‘kills freedom of speech’
One of the Philippines’ most prominent journalists is facing up to six years in
prison after she was found guilty of “cyberlibel” charges, a verdict condemned as setting “an extraordinarily damaging precedent” for press freedoms.
The ruling against Maria Ressa was issued by a court in Manila, where attendance was limited due to
Coronavirus prevention measures. The news website Rappler, Ressa, its executive editor, and former researcher and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr were accused of cyberlibel over a story that alleged links between a businessman and a top judge.