Amal warning about Philippines free press & democracy

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the US government has to say about this.

[size=37]Amal Clooney on Maria Ressa’s upcoming cyber-libel verdict — World, US will be watching[/size]
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jun 14 2020 06:02 AM | Updated as of Jun 14 2020 12:34 PM




[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Ahead of Monday’s verdict, journalist Maria Ressa says she is “prepared for the worst.” George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/file
International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney wants journalist Maria Ressa to be cleared of a cyber libel charge when the verdict is delivered on Monday, because accusations against the Rappler founder are baseless.

• ‘I’m ready’: Maria Ressa braces for worst ahead of cyberlibel case verdict
  

In an op-ed piece published on the Washington Post on Friday, Clooney said “the way this case is handled will be a signal of what lies ahead.”
“So the world will be watching on Monday, and no one should be watching more closely than the US government. Because as well as being Filipino, Maria is American,” added Clooney, counsel to Ressa. 
“And it has been a hallmark of this administration to strongly defend its citizens captured and falsely imprisoned abroad.”
The case stems from businessman Wilfredo Keng’s complaint in 2017 over a story on news site Rappler five years earlier about his alleged ties to former Chief Justice Renato Corona. 
Keng accused Ressa and Rappler of smearing his reputation over a May 2012 article alleging that he allowed Corona to use an SUV. The same article cited an intelligence report alleging that Keng had a “shady past.”

• Court denies Rappler, Ressa plea to junk cyberlibel raps
  
• Businessman seeks P50-M damages from Rappler over 'libelous' article
  
• Court dismisses another Rappler, Ressa plea to junk cyberlibel raps
  

Government investigators initially dismissed Keng’s allegation.
But state prosecutors later revived the case using a controversial cyber crime statute aimed at online offenses ranging from stalking to child pornography.
Authorities have said they are not targeting Ressa, a former CNN journalist, for her work and are simply enforcing the law.
But press and media watchdogs say the case against Ressa is in retaliation to Rappler’s independent reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]In an op-ed piece published on the Washington Post on Friday, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney said the way Ressa’s case is handled will be “a signal of what lies ahead.” Tolga Akmen, AFP/file
Clooney said that, with a conviction, the “message to other journalists and independent voices is clear: Keep quiet, or you’ll be next.”
“Let’s hope that on Monday a trial judge in Manila will send a very different message. And that if she doesn’t, we will see a robust response,” she added.
Clooney, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, Britain’s special envoy on media freedom, said the charges leveled against Ressa “are based on a law that violates international standards enshrined in treaties that the Philippines has ratified, by allowing imprisonment as a penalty for allegedly libelous speech.”
The multiple moves against Rappler have drawn international concern and made Ressa a cause celebre globally for people standing up against authoritarian governments. 
Time magazine named Ressa a Person of the Year in 2018. 
Rights watchdogs say the Duterte government has in recent weeks stepped up its campaign to silence dissent in other ways, with the nation's top broadcaster — ABS-CBN — shut down.
Lawmakers also this month passed the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which allows warrantless arrests, weeks of detention without charge and other measures that critics fear could be used to crack down on peaceful government opponents.
In a virtual interview with the International Center for Journalists that aired over Facebook ON Saturday, Ressa said: “I’m ready. I’m prepared for the worst. Rappler is prepared for the worst, but we are desperately hoping for the best because we believe that the mission of journalism is extremely important today.” — With a report from Agence France-Presse

I'm so glad they decided to add "democracy" to their attempt to stay relevant.  Because freedom of the press is a myth even in the most sophisticated societies.

Howmuch do you know about Rappler, heartlove?

party animal - not! wrote:
Howmuch do you know about Rappler, heartlove?

Zero

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Please note Duterte's threat towards the end of the article

We know Trump won't step in , he only likes news that favors him not the truth. Trump also loves a dictator .

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Just to put this in context, Carol Cadwalladr was the journalist who discovered the Russian influence on Facebook and 120 million of their accounts

during the last election

Tell me something PAN,

In the last election Hilary won the popular vote, and Trump won by a slight "electoral vote" margin due to mid-western states.

I understand the media wants us to believe Russia is somehow involved in our elections. 

Exactly what influence did Russia have in the last election?

Has President Trump's Administration helped Russia?  If so, how?

Russia is an oil producing country.  I've always believed the Bush Administration and Russia, along with China were working together behind closed doors.  With Bush and Powell supporting poseidon Biden what influence do you see Russia imposing in the next election?

Well, Heartlove, I think maybe if you're interested in the answers, you  should read up about

what actually happened in the USA


And maybe not just think about it in the context of the US,  which is not an island obviously,

but what the worldwide influences have been and continue to be from other countries.

Interesting...

Heartlove - I'm curious. Other than asking questions here on COH, where do you go to get information?

A lot of research, being in the right place at the right time, and common sense.

I did not bring up Russia, PAN did.

You say you do research. My question is where? Where do you look to get your information? I'm just curious.

I don't know why you brought up Russia to answer me. I didn't mention it.

Any questions as to how Russia helped Trump win the 2016 election and how Russia continues to influence the 2020 election can be answered in a wealth of articles that have appeared over the past few years in ‘The Washington Post’ and ‘The New York Times’.  There are also numerous books that have been published since 2016 on this very subject.  Kind of hard to miss ...

I don't know what you are referring to exactly.

PAN talked about the Russia investigation.

My questions were based on PAN's post.  Usually my questions are regarding posts others have made.  You, PAN, and Annemarie, and Donna seem to agree on plethora of things.   I usually hold a much different view.

Politics:  I'm an issues person not a party person.  Research: Books, 15 years ago the internet, lectures...

Religious Topics:  I've studied the Bible extensively.  I've listened to many TV and radio ministries.

Current Events:  I research anything that catches my eyes and ears.  

Everything with me begins and ends with what I know to be true and/or what I understand to be truth.  

Wisdom:  When something does not make sense, it's probably not true.  (Judge Judy)

Bottom Line:  I'm an abstract thinker to an absolute point.

Donnamarie wrote:Any questions as to how Russia helped Trump win the 2016 election and how Russia continues to influence the 2020 election can be answered in a wealth of articles that have appeared over the past few years in ‘The Washington Post’ and ‘The New York Times’.  There are also numerous books that have been published since 2016 on this very subject.  Kind of hard to miss ...

I guess Robert Mueller missed the information in those books.

heartlove - Thank you for answering my question.

Since religion is so important to you, might I suggest you check out Rev. John Pavlovitz's YouTube site. You might find it interesting.

The majority Bush/Republican appointed United States Supreme Court seems to agree with him.

heartlove wrote:The majority Bush/Republican appointed United States Supreme Court seems to agree with him.

Agree with whom? John Pavlovitz? Then I can only assume you saw his post on LGBTQ rights. He has many more interesting ideas to explore.

LizzyNY wrote:

heartlove wrote:The majority Bush/Republican appointed United States Supreme Court seems to agree with him.

Agree with whom? John Pavlovitz? Then I can only assume you saw his post on LGBTQ rights. He has many more interesting ideas to explore.

The Bush Republican majority Supreme court redefined the institution of marriage.

The Bush/Trump majority Supreme Court added sex to equal protection under the law.

Those who believe they are the righteous sent by god, plan to avenge these actions using violence and continued financial retribution.

It is obvious Putin can and has used Trump. Trump is not smart he simply wants to be a dictator like Putin. Putin is a smart man.

It’s also clear that Trump has been manipulated by Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping.  Trump hasn’t a clue how to deal with these strongmen.  Trump is simply a wannabe and he puts our country in a pretty precarious situation as a result of his total lack of leadership.