The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomes the acquittal by the Pasig Regional Trial Court in the Philippines of IPI Executive Board member and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa on a tax evasion charge carrying a potential 10-year sentence. The court’s decision is the second decision this year acquitting Ressa of baseless tax evasion charges. In January, the Philippines Court of Tax Appeals acquitted Ressa on four tax evasion charges linked to Rappler’s issuance of a type of financial instrument, called Philippine Depositary Receipts, to raise capital.

With her acquittal on all five tax evasion charges, Ressa still faces more than 30 years in prison on multiple charges. She remains convicted of cyber libel and subject to a six-year prison sentence for a story published in Rappler that alleged links between a businessman and a Supreme Court judge. The case is now with the Philippines Supreme Court. Ressa also faces criminal ‘foreign ownership’ charges, which can carry a sentence of more than 30 years in prison, as a result of a foreign investment in Rappler. Rappler has appealed a June 2022 decision by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission to revoke Rappler’s certificates of incorporation and issue a closure order for alleged violations of foreign ownership rules.

“This decision by the Philippine courts is a rare and important win for press freedom and the rule of law in the Philippines”, IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said. “Despite years of legal harassment and online attacks, Maria Ressa and the team at Rappler have courageously continued to hold the powerful to account through independent and bold journalism. We urge the authorities to dismiss all remaining politically motivated charges against Maria and Rappler and to send a clear signal that the Philippines’ courts will no longer be complicit in the former administration’s abuse of the law to lock up journalists for doing their work. The IPI global network continues to stand with Maria and the team at Rappler.”

Ressa was jointly awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize alongside Russian editor Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to defend free expression as a precondition for democracy and peace. IPI and IMS awarded their 2018 Free Media Pioneer award to Rappler in recognition of the site’s innovative approach to journalism and audience engagement, as well as its determination to hold authorities accountable despite relentless attacks on its operations.