By Noreen Jazul
Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed support for veteran journalist Maria Ressa following the latter’s conviction of cyber libel.
Hillary Clinton
(AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski / MANILA BULLETIN) The American politician and lawyer said Ressa was convicted “for doing her job.” Quoting United Kingdom’s special envoy on media freedom Amal Clooney, Clinton said Ressa’s conviction sends a message to journalists to “Keep quiet, or you’ll be next.” “We must fiercely protest attacks on the press. They are attacks on democracy,” Clinton tweeted. Aside from Clinton, renowned international journalists and advocates have also denounced the Manila Regional Trial Court’s decision to convict Ressa, and her former writer and researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) executive director Robert Mahoney said the Philippines took “another giant step towards the darkness,” with Ressa's conviction. Peter Greste, UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communication, called the court’s decision a “blow to journalists…to press freedom in the Philippines, and to stability in the region.” Read more: Manila RTC convicts Ressa, ex-Rappler researcher of cyber libel
Hillary Clinton(AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski / MANILA BULLETIN) The American politician and lawyer said Ressa was convicted “for doing her job.” Quoting United Kingdom’s special envoy on media freedom Amal Clooney, Clinton said Ressa’s conviction sends a message to journalists to “Keep quiet, or you’ll be next.” “We must fiercely protest attacks on the press. They are attacks on democracy,” Clinton tweeted. Aside from Clinton, renowned international journalists and advocates have also denounced the Manila Regional Trial Court’s decision to convict Ressa, and her former writer and researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) executive director Robert Mahoney said the Philippines took “another giant step towards the darkness,” with Ressa's conviction. Peter Greste, UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communication, called the court’s decision a “blow to journalists…to press freedom in the Philippines, and to stability in the region.” Read more: Manila RTC convicts Ressa, ex-Rappler researcher of cyber libel