Posted: Jan 17, 2023 4:55 PM PST CBC

Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and her news site Rappler were acquitted by a court of tax evasion charges on Wednesday, a judge said, handing Ressa a victory in a case the veteran journalist has described as part of a pattern of harassment.

Ressa, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside a Russian journalist in 2021, is the head of Rappler, which earned a reputation for its in-depth reporting and tough scrutiny of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“This acquittal is not just for Rappler. It is for every Filipino who has ever been unjustly accused,” Ressa said after the verdict, describing it as a win for justice and the truth.

“These charges… were politically motivated… A brazen abuse of power,” she said.

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