On behalf of the #HoldTheLine Coalition, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) are calling for public support for Maria Ressa and independent media in the Philippines.
On 15 June 2020, Ressa was convicted of “cyber-libel,” alongside former Rappler colleague Reynaldo Santos Jr — a criminal charge for which they face up to six years in prison. [see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/06/15/ressas-cyber-libel-conviction-in-the-philippines-shocks/
Ressa and Santos could be imprisoned if the cyber-libel case is not overturned on appeal. Ressa is facing at least six other cases and charges. Guilty verdicts in all of these cases could result in her spending nearly a century in jail.
Rappler is also implicated in most of these cases, with several involving criminal charges related to libel, foreign ownership, and taxes. For independent media in the Philippines, these targeted attacks and legal threats pose a clear and present danger to press freedom.
As a matter of urgency, please sign this petition calling on the Philippine government to drop all cases against Ressa, Santos, and Rappler and cease attacks on independent media in the country. Share this appeal using the #HoldTheLine hashtag!
Credit image : Maria TAN / AFP
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
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