OSG opposes Ressa’s trip to Norway to receive Nobel Peace Prize: “No need and no urgency”
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 25) – The solicitor general’s office tried to block journalist Maria Ressa’s travel offer, noting that there was “no need or urgency” for her to personally claim the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway in December.
Ressa, the first Filipino to receive a Nobel Prize, had previously filed a petition with the Court of Appeal to travel to Oslo from December 8 to 13.
“There is no evidence that appellant Ressa’s in-person presence is necessary or that her absence in person at the events in Oslo, Norway would cause her harm or irreparable harm,” GSO said in its opposition.
He added that the letter from the Norwegian Nobel Institute to Ressa, co-founder and managing director of the Rappler news site, is “just an invitation”.
“Certainly, there are other ways in which the accused-appellant Ressa can participate in the events listed, such as video conferencing and other technological applications,” OSG said.
He said Ressa is a flight risk, citing her previous statements in which she criticized her June 2020 online libel conviction over a 2012 investigative article published by Rappler.
“His persistent use of online forums to discuss his cybernetic defamation conviction reflects his lack of respect, not only for the honorable court, but for the justice system in general,” he said.
“Essentially, these actions imply that the accused-appellant Ressa no longer believes that our justice system is still capable of delivering impartial justice,” added GSO. “With her conviction, coupled with her views on the justice system, the accused-appellant Ressa can be seen as a flight risk.”
Ressa camp
Responding to opposition from the solicitor general, the Ressa camp said the invitation from the Norwegian Nobel Institute makes it clear that she should attend in person.
“This is a necessary and urgent trip for Ms Ressa herself: this is clearly a unique and very unusual situation … Simply put, she will not receive a second Nobel Peace Prize,” they said. his lawyers said in a document filed with the Court of Appeal.
His absence from the event, according to the document, “would be both blatant and difficult to explain” and “would seriously harm the interests of the Philippines at the international level.”
Her lawyers have also argued that there is no rational basis that criticism of her conviction puts her at risk of absconding.
Ms. Ressa has, on all occasions since these and other proceedings against her commenced, complied with her bail condition and returned to the Philippines after a trip to the Philippines. foreigner, despite his criticism of the lawsuits at that time, ”they said.
The appeals court had previously granted his petition to travel abroad from Oct. 31 to Dec. 2, ruling his in-person attendance at a series of lectures at Harvard Kennedy School in Boston, Massachusetts as “necessary and urgent.”
The HQ also found compassionate grounds, as Ressa also intended to visit her parents in Florida during the trip.