By Prince Golez
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) described the guilty verdict on Maria Ressa, the founder and executive editor of the news website Rappler, as “dark day not only for independent Philippine media but for all Filipinos.”
On Monday, A Manila court found Ressa and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. guilty of cyber libel over a 2012 article accusing a businessman of involvement in human trafficking and drug smuggling.
RELATED STORY: Ressa found guilty of cyber libel
“The verdict basically kills freedom of speech and of the press. But we will not be cowed. We will continue to stand our ground against all attempts to suppress our freedoms,” the NUJP said in a Facebook post.
RELATED STORY:Dangerous precedent for netizens: Rappler paints doomsday scenario after Ressa’s cyber libel conviction
To recall, businessman Wilfredo Keng sued Ressa and Santos for cyber libel over a Rappler story that he supposedly allowed former chief justice Renato Corona to use his SUV, also linking him human trafficking and drug smuggling.
RELATED STORY: This ain’t about press freedom! Court: Ressa guilty of cyberlibel over Rappler’s ‘malicious’ article
Ressa and Rappler were also indicted on multiple counts of tax evasion. They are likewise accused of violating the foreign equity restrictions on mass media.
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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