Maria Ressa has been a vocal critic of the country’s outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte and his controversial war on drug trafficking, which has led to the killing of thousands of people.
Rappler’s company license has now been revoked and he is accused of having violated “restrictions on foreign ownership in the media”, the site writes.
Rappler promises to appeal and says that the authority’s decision is not in line with practice. So far, the editorial staff is working, according to Ressa.
– We continue to work as usual, she says to reporters after the announcement.
Ressa herself has several lawsuits linked to her work and risks imprisonment for a total of over 100 years. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 together with the Russian press freedom activist Dmitry Muratov from Russia, who co-founded the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.