Luminate welcomes the decision by the Philippines’ Court of Tax Appeals to acquit Maria Ressa of four politically motivated tax charges.
These charges clearly show how the law was weaponised by the Duterte administration in order to suppress the journalism of Maria and the team at Rappler, and to intimidate journalists across the Philippines. These charges were by design meant to attack press freedom and we are glad they have failed.
We hope this decision represents a renewed commitment to democracy and the critical role of journalism by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The President now has a real opportunity to break with the policies of his predecessor and throw out the remaining spurious legal charges facing Maria, which could result in her spending 50 years in jail.
In Maria’s own words, "Today, facts win, truth wins, justice wins,”
#HoldTheLine #CourageON
Luminate is part of the #HoldTheLine Coalition, a group of more than 80 organisations from around the world. You can read a statement by the coalition here.