Please consider signing the Reporters Without Borders petition in support of Maria Ressa, asking the Philippine government to drop all charges against her as well as her colleague, Reynaldo Santos Jr, and their news site Rappler.

On June 15, Maria Ressa, CEO and executive editor of the Philippine news site, Rappler, and fellow journalist Reynaldo Santos Jr. were convicted of cyber libel. This happened despite the fact that the cyber-crime law used against her was passed 4 months after the publication of the news article the government objected to, so the judge in this case was applying the law retroactively. The charges were also filed 5 years after the article was published, well beyond the one year statute of limitations for libel cases in the Philippines. Nonetheless, Duterte’s government claimed it could use an obscure law to extend the statute of limitations, which legal experts deem unconstitutional. Both Ressa and Santos were ordered to pay P400,000 and could face up to 6 years in prison.

To sign the Reporters Without Borders petition, click here: