Amal Clooney and Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC welcome acquittal of journalist and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa in another spurious criminal case
Amal Clooney and Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, who lead the international legal team representing journalist and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa, have welcomed a Philippine court’s decision to dismiss a criminal case against Ms Ressa related to alleged “foreign ownership” of her news organisation, Rappler. In a ruling dated 13 June 2025, the Regional Trial Court of Pasig found the prosecution’s evidence to be “grossly insufficient to establish the criminal liability” of Maria Ressa and five other Rappler directors.
The charges against Ms Ressa were brought after the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) instituted proceedings against Rappler alleging that, by securing investment from an American philanthropic investment fund, it had violated a legal prohibition on foreign ownership or control of media organisations. The Regional Trial Court of Pasig highlighted that, as the defence had argued, “the prosecution failed to establish that [a foreign entity] enjoyed or gained … control over Rappler”. It also noted that the Philippine Court of Appeal had already reversed an SEC order revoking Rappler’s broadcasting licence in 2024, finding that Rappler is wholly owned and managed by Filipinos.
Commenting on the court’s ruling, Ms Amal Clooney said:
“This is another victory for our client in court and we are relieved that this miscarriage of justice has finally been brought to an end. But Maria is still facing years in prison for a ‘cyberlibel’ conviction as well as charges in financial cases initiated under the previous administration that expose her to the rest of life in prison. So far, the prosecution has appealed every acquittal and challenged every decision in Maria’s favour. We hope that President Marcos’ administration will take steps to end these cases once and for all.”
Ms Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC said:
“For many years our brave client, Maria Ressa, has been pursued through the courts for her journalism, facing a barrage of spurious lawsuits and prosecutions designed to silence her. This latest acquittal by the Regional Trial Court of Pasig is welcome, but Ms Ressa still faces criminal cases which could at worst result in her spending the rest of her life in prison. This shameful prosecutorial harassment began under the Duterte administration, and years later it has not yet ended. The Marcos administration can now right this wrong, by dropping the outstanding charges and conceding all outstanding appeals. It is time to draw a line and end this lawfare against Ms Ressa.”
Ms Maria Ressa added:
“Rappler and I have never stopped fighting for our rights as journalists and citizens. When the past administration tried to intimidate us and deny us those rights, we kept doing our jobs. That is our promise: we #HoldTheLine to protect the rights of every Filipino citizen.”
Despite this victory, Ms Ressa continues to face criminal cases with maximum penalties that may lead to life imprisonment. She faces a potential challenge of her acquittal in this foreign-ownership case (carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years). She continues to face two criminal prosecutions for alleged tax violations arising out of the now-dismissed “foreign ownership” theory (carrying a combined maximum sentence of 44 years). And she is subject to over 6 years’ imprisonment for “cyberlibel” as a result of Rappler’s public interest reporting on alleged corruption by a judge in a case that is before the Philippines’ Supreme Court.
Note to editors
The Philippine authorities’ actions against Maria Ressa have been condemned by governments and institutions around the world. The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Congress. The European Union has stated that Ms. Ressa’s conviction for cyberlibel “raises serious doubts over the respect for freedom of expression as well as for the rule of law in the Philippines”. The UK, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and other members of the Media Freedom Coalition of States stated that they were “concerned by the increasing restrictions on freedom of the press in the Philippines, including the various charges against Maria Ressa”. The U.N. has described her conviction as “yet another example of the relentless attack” against journalists “for daring to speak truth to power”. And the committee awarding her the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize has praised her “courageous fight for freedom of expression”. The financial charges levelled against her have also raised concerns in the business community about the government’s commitment to the rule of law and protecting foreign investment.
Ms Ressa’s international legal team is led by Amal Clooney and Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, and includes fellow barristers Can Yeginsu and Claire Overman as well as Peter Lichtenbaum, Stephen Rademaker and former Ambassador Daniel Feldman of Covington & Burling LLP, working alongside domestic counsel in the Philippines.
