MANILA: Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa plans to appeal her cyber libel conviction at the country's Supreme Court, her lawyer said on Tuesday, after losing her legal battle and having months added to her sentence.
The appeals court in its Oct. 10 decision upheld its earlier ruling that affirmed a lower court's conviction, and added eight months to her six-year jail sentence. Ressa remains free during her appeals process.
Lawyer Theodore Te called the outcome "disappointing", adding it "ignored...the evidence presented."
Ressa along with former Rappler researcher and writer, Reynaldo Santos were convicted in June 2020 in a cyber libel case brought by a businessman over an online article in 2012 by Rappler that linked him to illegal activities.
The court at the time ruled Rappler, a news site which is known for its investigative journalism, had not given the businessman a chance to refute the allegations mentioned in its story, despite him contacting Rappler asking to give his side.
Ressa, a dual U.S.-Filipino citizen, is head of Rappler, which earned a reputation for its in-depth reporting and tough scrutiny of then President Rodrigo Duterte. She said the case is an attempt to harass her.
Ressa and Rappler have been fighting numerous legal battles, including alleged tax offences and violation of foreign ownership rules on domestic media.
"The ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation against me and Rappler continues, and the Philippines legal system is not doing enough to stop it," Ressa said in a statement after losing her appeal.
The plight of Ressa, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov in 2021, has raised international awareness about treatment of media in the Philippines, which is one of Asia's most dangerous places for journalists.
Last week, a radio journalist was shot dead, among scores killed in the past decade.
Reuters
Tue Oct 11 2022
Ressa and Rappler have been fighting numerous legal battles, including alleged tax offences and violation of foreign ownership rules on domestic media. - REUTERS/Filepic
Warga emas bersalah bunuh abang, kakak ipar
Mahkamah Tinggi di sini hari ini mensabitkan kesalahan seorang warga emas atas dua pertuduhan pindaan membunuh abang dan kakak iparnya dua tahun lalu.
PAC beri tempoh tiga bulan kepada HRD Corp kemuka laporan tindakan susulan
Mas Ermieyati Samsudin berkata tempoh itu diberikan susulan laporan audit berkaitan, baru dibentangkan pada minggu lepas.
Buli siber: Beberapa kementerian bincang perketat undang-undang - Fahmi
Penambahbaikan aspek perundangan akan diteliti kerajaan, termasuk mengadakan perbincangan dengan beberapa kementerian berkaitan dalam masa terdekat.
Kementerian Digital sedia bantu PKS dalam pelaksanaan e-invois - Gobind
Beliau menegaskan bahawa pelaksanaan e-Invois itu akan memberi manfaat, termasuk meningkatkan pendapatan PKS.
Kim Pan-gon akan ke Ulsan Hyundai?
Bekas pengendali skuad negara itu dilaporkan sedang menjadi calon utama untuk mengisi jawatan pengurus kelab gergasi Korea Selatan, Ulsan Hyundai.
Lebih 2,300 hektar kawasan lapang di ibu negara diperuntukkan kawasan hijau
Daripada keluasan itu, sebanyak 977.55 hektar tanah telah diwartakan, manakala 1,416.24 hektar tanah lapang yang berpotensi akan dan sedang dalam proses diwartakan.
Guna jawatan untuk projek pembekalan, suami isteri ditahan
Sepasang suami isteri direman enam hari dalam siasatan penyalahgunaan jawatan untuk mendapatkan projek pembekalan bernilai lebih RM200,000.
Perintah reman dikeluarkan Majistret Noor Mazrinie Mahmood bermula hari ini hingga Ahad.
Perintah reman dikeluarkan Majistret Noor Mazrinie Mahmood bermula hari ini hingga Ahad.
DBKL ubah lalu lintas Jalan Sultan Ismail bermula 22 Julai
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) akan melaksanakan perubahan lalu lintas di Jalan Sultan Ismail berkuat kuasa 22 Julai ini.
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, kenapa tak umum tahun lepas? - MP Kampar
Tindakan tersebut seolah-olah satu penghinaan paling besar kepada Parlimen yang telah meluluskan pindaan Perlembagaan Persekutuan berkait Akta Antilompat Parti.
[TERKINI] Perbelanjaan pengguna Malaysia dijangka kembali teguh
Perbelanjaan pengguna Malaysia dijangka teguh sepanjang tahun ini, demikian menurut BMI, iaitu syarikat Fitch Solitions.
Ikon wartawan Filipina, Rusia menang Hadiah Nobel Keamanan 2021
Maria Ressa dan Dmitry Muratov dipilih atas usaha mereka dalam melindungi hak kebebasan bersuara.
Jangan benarkan pandemik 'bunuh' media
COVID-19 telah mewujudkan "infodemik" yang mempercepat kemerosotan kewangan pelbagai organisasi media berkepentingan awam di seluruh dunia.
Wujud trend sekat kebebasan bersuara dalam kalangan negara di Asia Tenggara - Penganalisis
Ini pemerhatian yang dibuat Penyelaras Projek Asia Tenggara Persekutuan Antarabangsa Wartawan Asia Pasifik Ratna Ariyanti berhubung keadaan kebebasan media di beberapa negara di kawasan ini.
Wartawan veteran Filipina ditahan polis kali kedua kerana kritik Presiden Duterte
Wartawan kanan Filipina yang juga ketua pengarang portal berita, Rappler, Maria Ressa ditangkap kali kedua oleh pihak berkuasa negara itu.