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MANILA: Philippine Nobel laureate Maria Ressa’s news website Rappler has won an appeal to restore its corporate license after a court overturned a regulator’s decision to shut down the media company.
The Court of Appeals released its July 23 ruling on Friday (August 9), ruling that the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) exceeded its authority when it ordered the shutdown of Rappler in 2018.
“Like a bull that sees red, the SEC … disregarded law and precedent to achieve its goal — the death of Rappler,” the court said in its ruling.
The SEC declined to comment, saying it had not received a copy of the decision.
In 2018, Rappler had its operating license revoked for violating foreign ownership restrictions on media companies by selling depository rights to a U.S. company. The SEC upheld its findings in 2022.
Despite the closure order, it has been allowed to operate for the past six years.
Rappler previously said that Omidyar Network, the charity of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, was a silent investor. Omidyar severed ties by donating depository receipts to Rappler employees.
Ressa welcomed the decision, calling it “vindication after eight years of painful harassment.”
“Journalists are not the enemy,” Ressa said at a news conference hours after the ruling was announced.
Ressa was jointly awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize along with Russian investigative journalist Dmitry Muratov, a decision widely seen as a recognition of free speech rights, which have been under fire around the world.
She still faces at least two charges, including cyber libel, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison. She is currently free on bail.
Rappler has incurred the wrath of former President Rodrigo Duterte for its coverage of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, which human rights groups say has killed thousands of people. Rappler and Ressa were charged with at least nine counts, including tax evasion, but those charges have been dismissed.
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