Former US Senator Hillary Clinton has aired her support on Twitter for Rappler chief executive officer and executive editor Maria Ressa who was taken into custody for cyber libel on Monday.
Clinton wrote on Twitter to her 28.1 million followers, "Maria Ressa was convicted in the Philippines yesterday for doing her job. As Amal Clooney wrote, the message to other journalists is, 'Keep quiet, or you'll be next."
The pounce on press freedom is equivalent to a strike to the democracy of the nation, the former US Secretary stated.
Kami reported that she said that attacks on the press should be protested.
The lawyer and politican said Ressa was convicted "for doing her job."
Also, highly-acclaimed journalists and advocates across the globe have condemned the Manila Regional Trial Court's verdict to pronouce Ressa as guilty, along with her former researcher and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr., Manila Bulletin reported.
According to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) executive director Robert Mahoney, the Philippines took "another giant step towards the darkness."
Former American Secretary Madeleine Albright also expressed allegiance with Rappler CEO Maria Ressa on Tuesday after she was convicted for cyber libel.
Albright spearheads the National Democratic Institute (NDI) that gave recognition to Rappler with the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award in 2017 for its track record in combatting fake news and disinformation.
"Time" magazine named the journalist pronounced guilty as 2018's Person of the Year. She was sentenced to six years in prison after Monday's denouement of her case that originated from an article associating a businessman to alleged illegal activities in 2012, reported ABS-CBN News.
The content of the cyber libel case was that businessman Wilfredo Keng loaned former Chief Justice Renato Corona his sports utility vehicle written by Santos.
The aforementioned story also quoted an intelligence report indicating that Keng had been supervised by the National Security Council for its alleged drug smuggling and human trafficking activities.
For contravening Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 pronounced Ressa and Santos guilty.
However, Ressa and Santos were permitted to post bail as the verdict can be appealed.
Hollywood actor George Clooney's wife Amal Clooney also participated in the legal counsel of Ressa to resist the counter against the Philippines' press freedom.
According to UNESCO leader for Journalism and Communication Peter Greste, the court's verdict was a "blow to journalists... to press freedom in the Philippines, and to stability in the region."
The Duterte administration has stated that the cyber libel case is not does not have political intentions and that officials should implement the law, which covers even journalists.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte condemned Rappler as a "fake news outlet" and eventually prohibited Ressa and her colleagues from his public appointments.
Twitter itself has tweeted in favor of Ressa.
The Twitter Public Policy page wrote that governments should not defy the fundamental morals of press freedom.
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