HRW reacts to Ressa guilty verdict in libel trial

An award-winning journalist critical of the Philippine president was convicted of libel and sentenced to jail Monday in a decision called a major blow to press freedom in an Asian bastion of democracy.

The Manila court found Maria Ressa, her online news site Rappler Inc and former reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr guilty of libeling a wealthy businessman.

Rappler's story on May 29, 2012, cited an unspecified intelligence report linking him to a murder, drug dealing, human trafficking and smuggling.

The site's lawyers disputed any malice and said the time limit for filing the libel complaint had passed.

Carlos Conde, a researcher at Human Rights Watch covering the Philippines, said the verdict was a "very serious blow to press freedom in the Philippines".

"The verdict and the case against Rappler should be viewed in the larger context of the series of cases the government has filed against Rappler, against Maria Ressa", Conde told the Associated Press.

"This is not just one case.There are several cases that establishes a pattern of persecution by the government.", he added.

As Rappler's chief executive officer, Ressa faces seven other criminal complaints in relation to legal issues hounding her news agency, including an allegation that it violated a constitutional ban on media agencies receiving foreign investment funds.

President Rodrigo Duterte's government said the complaints were part of normal criminal procedures and were not a press freedom issue.