Maria Ressa: Rappler editor found guilty of cyber-libel charges in Philippines
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent from on (#54M12)
Case against editor of influential news website - who faces up to six years in prison - condemned as a sinister action'
One of the Philippines' most prominent journalists is facing up to six years in prison after she was found guilty of cyber-libel" 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 only a limited number of attendees were permitted as part of coronavirus prevention measures. The news website Rappler, its executive editor Ressa, and former researcher and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr were accused of cyber-libel over a story that alleged links between a businessman and a top judge.
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