, Dec 7 () –
A Philippine appeals court approved on Tuesday the motion presented by journalist Maria Ressa to travel to Oslo, Norway, and personally receive the Nobel Peace Prize that has been awarded this year together with Russian journalist Dimitri Muratov.
The court has given the definitive ‘yes’ to Ressa, who will be able to remain outside the country between December 8 and 13, although he will have to inform the court at all times and show proof of his return to the country.
The endorsement of the Philippine Justice comes after the Prosecutor’s Office will not present any objection within the period established for it, according to information from the newspaper ‘The Philippine Star’.
Ressa and Muratov have been awarded for their work “in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face adverse conditions”, as the Norwegian Committee pointed out when naming the winners.
The Philippine Justice had already authorized Ressa last week to travel to Oslo, although only with the aim of “attending the ceremony and collecting the award.” The government of Rodrigo Duterte had opposed that trip, claiming that the journalist’s criticism of the judicial system raised concerns that she might escape, “as the Rappler news portal, which was founded by Ressa itself, pointed out last week.
Ressa, the first person from the Philippines to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, is on probation pending the review of appeals to his June 2020 conviction for “cyberdefamation.” If his appeal is unsuccessful, he will have to serve a sentence of six years in jail.
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