Abuse of Cybercrime Measures Taints UN Talks

In a devastating blow to freedom of the media in the Philippines, Maria Ressa, the founder and executive editor of Rappler, and Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos, Jr., were convicted in June 2020 of criminal libel under the Cybercrime Prevention Act. The conviction came after Ressa and Santos published a piece accusing then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona of impropriety for using a vehicle owned by a businessman. The prosecution was one of several instigated by President Rodrigo Duterte’s government to stifle Rappler’s critical reporting, particularly on the government’s murderous “war…

© Human Rights Watch - mercredi 5 mai 2021