Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa has been allowed by the Court of Appeals (CA) to travel to Oslo, Norway, to personally receive her Nobel Peace Prize Award.
In the decision made by the CA Special Seventh Division, Ressa has been allowed to travel and stay in Norway for five days, starting December 8 to 13 only to participate in the said event.
The expenses for her trip will be covered by her previous P500,000 travel bond.
The decision from the court comes despite the opposition of the Office of the Solicitor General, stating that the letter from Olav Njølstad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, was a "mere invitation."
The office also said that Ressa failed to present any argument "proving the necessity and urgency of her travel to Oslo, Norway."
Ressa has been named as one of the recipients of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with Dmitry Muratov for "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."
This makes both of the recipients the second journalists to receive the prestigious award, and Ressa to become the first Filipino to be awarded by it in an individual capacity.
