Sept. 13, 2023, from the International Federation of Journalists:
Independent news outlet Rappler and its founder Maria Ressa have been acquitted of the final of five tax evasion charges launched in 2018 by the Philippines government. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), in welcoming the long-awaited legal victory and calling on the Filipino judiciary to overturn all remaining cases against Ressa and other media workers.
On September 12, a court in the National Capital Region’s eastern city of Pasig acquitted renowned journalist and 2021 Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa and her outlet, Rappler, on the fifth of five tax evasion charges. In its decision, the court dismissed all civil aspects of the case, while acquitting Ressa and Rappler of criminal charges. The ruling cannot be appealed by the prosecution under the Philippines’ double jeopardy legislation.
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