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MANILA: A Philippine court has ordered the country’s corporate regulator to reinstate the license of Rappler Media Inc, which is led by Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and has covered former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
Reuters saw the Court of Appeals ruling on July 23 on Friday (August 9), which vacated the order and decision of the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to shut down the online news website.
The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2018, the SEC revoked Rappler’s license to operate because the company violated foreign ownership restrictions on domestic media when it sold depository rights to foreign entities. The decision was upheld in 2022.
The appeals court said the SEC committed a “grave abuse of discretion” when it revoked Rappler’s certificate of incorporation.
Rappler had previously argued that Omidyar Network, the charity of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, was a silent investor. Omidyar severed ties by donating depository receipts to Rappler employees.
Rappler was founded by Ressa, who was jointly awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize 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.
Ressa is currently out on bail after being found guilty in a cyber libel case in 2020. She has appealed the verdict to the country’s Supreme Court.
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