MANILA: A Philippine court on Wednesday acquitted freedom of expression journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and her media outlet Rappler of four tax evasion charges.
The tax evasion case is one of several cases against Maria Ressak and the news site she founded, Rappler, who have effectively used freedom of expression to protest abuse of power, violence and dictatorship in their own country. The government was accused of evading taxes while raising capital from foreign investors. Mariah and Rappler have previously denied the allegations.
He told reporters outside court on Wednesday that the trial had taken four years and two months, but today truth and justice had prevailed.
Maria was born on October 2, 1963 in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Ressak, the CEO and executive editor of Manila-based Rappler, was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. He is the first Nobel laureate from the Philippines. Maria co-founded digital media company Rappler in 2012 with a focus on investigative journalism. President Rodrigo Duterte, who came to power in the Philippines in 2016, exposed the killings in connection with the administration’s anti-drug campaign.
When it was brought out how social media is used for spreading fake news and insulting opponents, it became a thorn in the side of the government. In June 2020, Maria was arrested and sentenced to prison in a defamation case. Maria, who was released on bail, has filed an appeal. If convicted in this cyber defamation case, Ressa faces up to seven years in prison.