Ressa and her former colleague Rey Santos Jr. face lengthy prison terms, but the company said it would “use all legal means at its disposal,” including taking the case to the high court. The decision comes less than two weeks after Philippine authorities ordered Rappler to shut down ahead of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s last day in office. Rappler on Friday described the decision to uphold the conviction as “unfortunate”, saying it “weakens the ability of journalists to hold power accountable”. “What is ultimately at stake is our democracy, whose strength rests on a media that is not threatened by the state or intimidated by forces to silence critical voices,” Rappler said. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Ressa has long been a vocal critic of Duterte and the deadly drug war that began in 2016, sparking what media advocates say is a series of criminal charges, investigations and online attacks against her and Rappler. She and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for their efforts to “preserve freedom of expression.” Ressa, who is also a US citizen, faces at least seven court cases, including a cyber libel case, for which she has been granted bail and faces up to six years in prison. Rappler, which is the subject of eight lawsuits, has had to fight for survival as the Duterte government accused it of violating the constitutional ban on foreign ownership in securing financing, as well as tax evasion. Days before Duterte left office, the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission ordered Rappler to cease operations for violating “constitutional and statutory restrictions on foreign ownership of mass media.” Ressa promised that the company would continue to operate as it went through the legal process, but expressed hope that the situation would improve under Duterte’s successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. But the future of the company and its battle in the country’s highly politicized legal system under Marcos Jr’s presidency is uncertain. Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte on June 30, has given little indication of his views on the site and the broader issue of free speech. Activists fear it could worsen the situation for human rights and freedom of speech in the country.
