Hong Kong CNN —Philippine Nobel Peace laureate Maria Ressa was acquitted of tax evasion Tuesday, according to her news site Rappler, in the latest legal victory for the veteran journalist. Ressa and Rappler are now cleared of all five tax-related charges filed during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines. “This is really a win not just for Maria … but a win for the Philippines,” Ressa’s lawyer Francis Lim told supporters outside Regional Trial Court in Pasig city. The ruling comes eight months after Ressa was cleared of four earlier counts of tax violations filed in 2018 by Duterte’s government. She won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, for her efforts to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines.

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Persons: Maria Ressa, Ressa, Rodrigo Duterte, Maria …, ”, Francis Lim, Dmitry Muratov Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, CNN, CNN Philippines Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Philippine, Philippines, Pasig city, “, Russian