Cyber libel suit against Maria Ressa dropped

One of the cyber libel charges against Maria Ressa has been dropped

Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler, has faced two spurious charges of cyber libel for an article published in 2012. Ressa was convicted over this story in 2020 and is currently undergoing an appeal process.

Wilfredo Keng, a businessman who brought one of the charges against her, dropped the charge and it was dismissed by a Manilla court on 1 June. Keng claims his decision to drop the charges is due to his desire to refocus his energy on helping the pandemic disaster response in the Philippines.

This is a rare moment of positive press freedom news, especially for Ressa. Now it's time for the rest of the charges to be dropped too.

Read further background of the charges Ressa faces and this recent decision here.

Photo credit: via Guardian