Nobel Peace Prize-winning Filipino journalist Maria Ressa speaks on Dec. 10, 2022, in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Photo: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and her news site Rappler were acquitted of tax evasion by a Philippine court Wednesday morning local time, per Reuters.
Driving the news: The Filipino American journalist was cleared of four counts of tax violations, charges filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte's government that Ressa said were politically motivated.
What she's saying: "Today, facts win, truth wins, justice wins," Ressa said per CNN.
- She added that the "politically motivated" charges were "a brazen abuse of power and meant to stop journalists from doing their jobs."
Of note: Rappler faced several lawsuits from the Filipino government, which tried to put the media company out of business for writing critical news coverage, per Axios' Sara Kehaulani Goo.