From a rickety courtroom in Manila, the guilty verdict on Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr is expected to make ripples in other countries where democracy is under threat by populist regimes.
– as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's de facto dictatorship, experts said it is crucial to see this also in a global context.
Referring to Ressa's trial, Greste warned:"If we see a conviction in this case without a serious pushback from the White House, from Canberra, from London, from other democracies around the world, it will be a very clear signal not just to the Philippines but to other states that are limiting press freedom across the region, that they can get away with it, that they can crack down on journalists with relative impunity, that there is no big price to pay.
When asked by Nery on Monday if the rest of the world was watching Ressa's case, Lipinski answered,"Emphatically so." Lipinski answered:"I would say it's a crisis point for democracy in many parts of the world. Yes, for journalism, but it's important to remember that journalism is in service of a larger mission, an ideal, and that's what's really at risk here."
"I think in times like this when we face authoritarian governments, journalism becomes ever more important, not less, and of course the efforts to silence journalists become even more strenuous," she said, adding that Ressa's case can be considered a"poster child" for this 21st-century issue. Lipinski said the Rappler verdict means we should"double and triple our efforts" to defend democracy.
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