Philippine court finds journalist Maria Ressa guilty of libel

Monday, 15 June 2020 10:19

A celebrated journalist in the Philippines has been found guilty of libel by a Manila court, and faces up to six years in jail.

Maria Ressa, her online news site Rappler Inc. and former reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr. have been charged over a 2012 article that linked a businessman to a murder, drug dealing, human trafficking and smuggling.

"The decision for me is devastating because it essentially says that we at Rappler are wrong," she said, claiming the charges are politically motivated.

Many media watchdogs have said the charges are aimed at silencing critics of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Previously, Rappler has scrutinised Duterte's war on drugs and foreign policies.

More from International News

UN warns funding cuts threaten vital aid

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have sounded the alarm over severe funding shortfalls that are hindering life-saving humanitarian aid in countries including Nigeria, Burundi, and Colombia.
Multiple dead in Vancouver after vehicle plows into street festival

A number of people were killed and multiple others were injured in Vancouver after a driver drove into a crowd at a Filipino street festival in the western Canadian city, police said on Saturday.
Rome and the world bid farewell to Pope Francis

Presidents, royalty and simple mourners bade farewell to Pope Francis on Saturday at a solemn funeral ceremony, where a cardinal appealed for the pontiff's legacy of caring for migrants, the downtrodden and the environment to be kept alive.
Trump, Zelenskyy meet in Vatican basilica to seek Ukraine peace

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, met one-on-one in a marble-lined Vatican basilica on Saturday to try to revive faltering efforts to end Russia's war with Ukraine.