MANILA— The Court of Appeals has approved Rappler executive Maria Ressa's plea to personally claim her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway this month.
The court ruling, signed by Associate Justice Geraldine Fiel-Macaraig, said Ressa’s travel to Oslo is necessary and urgent as there is no option to receive the Nobel Peace Prize virtually.
It added that the journalist is not a flight risk.
The CA ruled, however, that she must return to the Philippines first from Boston before leaving for Oslo.
"The travel period shall be from Dec. 8, 2021 to Dec. 13, 2021 and only for the purpose of attending the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo, Norway, and participating in the events specifically mentioned in the attached confirmation and invitation letter," the document read.
The Court of Appeals also last month, just 10 days after the Nobel Peace Prize was announced, allowed Ressa to attend a month-long program at the Harvard University in Boston after previously denying her attempts to travel following her libel conviction.
She was also allowed to visit her parents in Florida on Thanksgiving.
The Solicitor-General had earlier opposed Ressa's intent to go to Norway to claim the prestigious award, as the letter from the Norwegian Nobel Institute was only a “mere invitation.”
The Nobel Peace Prize will be presented on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.
Ressa is the second Filipino to get the award, but the first to be named individually. She won the award this year with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov for their “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.”
- Reports from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News