Philippine Journalist Maria Ressa of Rappler News Site Convicted of Libel

Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, who heads news site Rappler Inc. that’s been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte, was found guilty in a libel case seen as a test for press freedom in the Southeast Asian nation.

A Manila court on Monday convicted Ressa, who was accused by a businessman of cyber libel for publishing an allegedly defamatory article in 2012, according to a copy of the decision. Ressa and her co-accused, former researcher Reynaldo Santos, were sentenced to up to 6 years in jail, but can post bail and appeal the ruling.

“This is a blow to us, but it is also not unexpected,” Ressa, who’s also facing seven other criminal charges including for alleged tax evasion and media foreign ownership violation, said at a televised briefing after her conviction. “We are going to stand up against any kind of attack against press freedom.”

This marks the first time that journalists were found guilty of online libel in the Philippines. Even though the original report came out months before the law was enacted, the court ruled that it was republished in 2014, supposedly to correct a misspelling. It also said Rappler didn’t publish a clarification sent by the businessman who filed the case.

The court also ruled that the crime of online libel lapses in 12 years and is “more serious” compared to ordinary libel, which takes a year to lapse.

“The right of free speech and freedom of the press cannot and should not be used as a shield against accountability,” the court said in its decision. “The courts are tasked to strike a balance between the enforcement of one’s right to speak his mind and the protection of another’s right against defamation of his honor and reputation without regard to the stature of the personalities involved. This is what happened here.”

Ressa’s online libel case “sets a dangerous precedent” and “is seen deleterious to press freedom,” said journalism professor Danilo Arao from the University of the Philippines. It may also have a chilling effect on social media users critical of the government, he added.

Duterte’s government values free speech and upholds press freedom “by safeguarding the media environment and the media workers,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a June 5 statement. Last month, the Philippines’ largest broadcaster ABS-CBN Corp. was ordered shut by the government after its permit lapsed.