Key takeaways:
- Maria Ressa, founder of Rappler, was acquitted of tax evasion charges in a Manila court.
- Ressa has maintained that the charges against her are politically motivated.
- Ressa still faces three other cases, including a cyber libel conviction, which has been widely criticized by human rights groups and press freedom advocates.
Maria Ressa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the founder of Rappler, an online news company, was acquitted of tax evasion charges on Wednesday in a Manila court. The court ruled that prosecutors failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corp. had evaded tax payments in four instances after raising capital through partnerships with two foreign investors.
Ressa, who was teary-eyed and defiant after the ruling, said “Truth wins” and called the verdict a victory for “truth”. She has long maintained that the charges against her are politically motivated.
“We thank the court for this just decision and for recognizing that the fraudulent, false, and malicious charges against us were nothing more than an attempt to silence us,” Ressa said in a statement.
Ressa still faces three other cases, including a cyber libel conviction now under appeal that could mean nearly seven years in prison. The case has been widely criticized by human rights groups and press freedom advocates, who have called it a politically motivated attack on free speech.
Ressa and Rappler have been at the forefront of critical reporting on the Duterte administration. The case has been seen as a test of press freedom in the Philippines, where the government has been accused of using the legal system to target journalists and media outlets that are critical of the government.
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