Court of First Instance in the Philippines Filipino journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa was acquitted on Tuesday. now your news portal Rappler on a fifth charge of tax evasion, the latest charge of its kind to be brought against him and representing a victory for press freedom in the country.

The decision came eight months after the Court of Tax Appeals (the final authority for judicial appeals) also dismissed four other tax caseswith which the decision is on Tuesday ends four years and 10 months trial case brought by the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte in November 2018.

Ressa, winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with a Russian journalist, leads RapplerWhat has gained a reputation for scrutinizing Duterte’s leadership. and his deadly war on drugs.

“This is a victory not only for Rappler, but for everyone who has kept the faith that “A free and responsible press empowers communities and strengthens democracy.”he noted Rappler in a statement after the decision has been made.

“We share this with our colleagues in the industry, who have been subjected to ongoing online attacks, unfair arrests and imprisonment, and have been the target of attacks that have resulted in physical harm,” he added.

And Ressa and her portal Rappler were the scourge of the controversial former President Duterte with his investigations and critical publications, so the journalist has always maintained that the numerous court cases she faces They are reacting to a campaign of political persecution.

Tuesday’s decision, signed by presiding judge Ana Teresa Cornejo-Tomacruz, Ressa and Rappler They are no longer charged with possible tax crimes, but They still have two cases pending resolution. Philippine justice.

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Despite this, Ressa said that his acquittal today sends the country a “good signal”because the ruling “demonstrates that the judicial system is working.”

“Absolution now strengthens our resolve to continue working with the justice systemto sue despite political persecution, despite attacks on freedom of the press,” Ressa told reporters after the verdict.

“This shows that the judicial system is working. “We hope the remaining charges will be dropped,” he added.

A journalist is awaiting a decision from the Philippine Supreme Court in her cyberlibel case after the court found her guilty for an article she did not write or edit in 2012, when the crime was not yet classified in the Penal Code. He could face a sentence of up to six years in prison.

In addition, in June last year the Securities Market Commission ordered the closure of Rappler for allegedly violating restrictions imposed in the country on the ownership of media in the hands of foreign entities, whose appeal is still pending.

Ressa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2021 for her research into Duterte’s controversial war on drugs.being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for possible crimes against humanity, and to combat fake news and disinformation in the Philippines.

(EFE)