MANILA (UPDATE)—Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa lost her appeal against a conviction for cyber libel, her news website Rappler said Friday, in the latest blow for the veteran journalist.

Ressa and her former colleague Rey Santos Jr. face jail sentences lengthier than the original ruling, after the Court of Appeals upheld their conviction for cyber libel over an article involving businessman Wilfredo Keng, Rappler said.

But the company said they would "avail of all legal remedies available to them", including taking the case to the Supreme Court.

The ruling comes less than 2 weeks after authorities ordered Rappler to shut down ahead of former president Rodrigo Duterte's last day in office.

• Ressa: SEC has issued ruling that ‘effectively confirmed’ Rappler shutdown

Rappler on Friday described the decision to uphold the conviction as "unfortunate", saying it "weakens the ability of journalists to hold power to account".

"What is ultimately at stake is our democracy whose strength rests on a media that is not threatened by the state nor intimidated by forces out to silence critical voices," Rappler said.

Ressa has long been a vocal critic of Duterte and the deadly drug war he launched in 2016.

THE RULING

The ruling that affirmed Ressa's conviction was penned by CA Justice Roberto Quiroz and concurred in by Justices Ramon Bato and Germano Francisco Legaspi, based on a screenshot of its last 2 pages obtained by reporters.

CA ruling denies Ressa’s appeal of her cyber libel conviction. Sourced

CA ruling denies Ressa’s appeal of her cyber libel conviction. Sourced

While the ruling affirmed Ressa and Santos’ conviction, it modified the sentence to 6 months and 1 day to 6 years, 8 months and 20 days.

The range is longer by 8 months and 20 days compared to the Manila Regional Trial Court’s sentence of up to 6 years in jail.

A copy of the ruling was not immediately available.

Ressa and Santos were sentenced to 6 years in prison in June 2020 by Manila RTC Branch 46 Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa.

Estacio-Montesa stood by her ruling, junking the motion for reconsideration in July of the same year.

• Rappler chief Maria Ressa found guilty of cyber libel

The cyber libel charged stemmed from a May 2012 article, which linked businessman Keng to the late Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was then facing an impeachment trial.

Corona allegedly used luxury vehicles belonging to several personalities including Keng, whom the article described as having a "shady past," citing an intelligence report and a prior article published on the Philippine Star.

Santos was found liable as author of the article and Ressa as then-executive editor of Rappler. Ressa has since given up the post.

The article, although initially published before the Cybercrime Prevention Act took effect in September 2012, was republished in February 2014 when Rappler edited a typographical error.

The Manila court considered it a republication to make it fall under the law and punishable for cyber libel.

• How correcting a typo got Maria into trouble: The cyberlibel case vs Rappler

Two other libel cases against Ressa have been dismissed but she continues to face 5 tax cases.

She and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the Nobel Peace prize in October for their efforts to "safeguard freedom of expression".

• For her press freedom efforts, Maria Ressa wins the Nobel Peace Prize

— With a report from Agence France-Presse

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