November 26 ------ The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to deny the request of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa to travel to Oslo, Norway from December 8 to 13 to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. In its opposition, the OSG argued that it was not necessary for Ressa, the first Filipino Nobel laureate, to be physically present at the awarding ceremony on December 10. She shared the prize with Russian investigative journalist Dmitry Muratov.
“Plaintiff-appellee (OSG) is aware that the Nobel Peace Prize is a prestigious award given to individuals who have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind,” the OSG said on November 8. “However, it is respectfully submitted that accused-appellant Ressa has failed to present any compelling argument and/or evidence proving the necessity and urgency of her travel to Oslo, Norway.”
The OSG indicated that the letter of Norwegian Nobel Institute director Olav Njølstad was a “mere invitation” to attend the ceremony and other related activities such as the banquet dinner in her honor, concert, and media interviews. “Admittedly, there are alternative means by which accused-appellant Ressa may participate in the enumerated events, such as through videoconferencing and other technological applications,” the opposition read. “More importantly, in view of her being a flight risk, and her failure to satisfactorily prove the necessity and urgency of her intended travel to Oslo, Norway, there is more reason that such greater caution be exercised by the Honorable Court in this case.”
Responding to the OSG’s opposition, the veteran journalist’s camp said the “importance of the awarding ceremony and Ms. Ressa’s presence there cannot be understated." “This is not an invitation to attend via videoconferencing,” the reply stated. “It is necessary and urgent travel for Ms. Ressa herself: plainly, this is a unique and very unusual situation, and there would be very grave prejudice to her were she to miss this opportunity.” “Were Ms. Ressa to be refused permission to travel, it is plain that this decision would attract international opprobrium and would severely damage the Philippines’ interests internationally. This is an additional relevant factor for the Court to consider, in the exercise of its discretion," it said.
The CA is handling the appeal of Ressa and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos, Jr. to reverse their convictions for cyberlibel in connection with a Rappler story in 2012 that reported businessman Wilfredo Keng’s supposed links to illegal activities. Ressa was earlier allowed by the CA to travel to the United States to deliver a series of lectures and visit her parents there.
Source: gmanetwork.com