Nobel Peace Prize - Maria Ressa

Maria Ressa, longtime vocal supporter of press freedom in the Philippines, has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Alongside her is fellow Russian journalist, Dmitry Muratov, who shared in the Peace Prize win. 

Together they asserted that their win “is for all journalists around the world…as it is so much more difficult and dangerous to be a journalist today.”

Ressa has been facing criminal charges and court proceedings for tax evasion and cyber libel, which she contends, stem from her unwavering criticism of the president, Rodrigo Duterte.

With upcoming Philippines elections in 2022, and front runner candidates including Duterte’s daughter and Ferdinand Marcos’ son, Ressa says there has never been a more important time to “safeguard the freedom of the press”.

Since his election in 2016, Duterte has overseen a war on drugs that human rights groups estimate has killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men.

Ressa voices the hope that the Nobel Prize will provide a protective layer for her and other journalists in the Philippines against physical attacks and online threats going forward into the election cycle.