SECOND TAKE
UK GUARDIAN: Cyberlibel conviction a blow to press freedom
Journalist found guilty of republishing an article which alleged ties between a businessman and a high court judge
18 June 2020 - 15:37
The persecution of the courageous journalist Maria Ressa in the Philippines should horrify not only her compatriots and counterparts elsewhere.
Her conviction, along with a former colleague, for “cyberlibel” (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/15/maria-ressa-rappler-editor-found-guilty-of-cyber-libel-charges-in-philippines), which could see them serve up to six years in prison, is designed to chill the media. But it should reverberate throughout her nation and more widely, because it forms part of a broader assault on democracy...
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