A COURT in the Philippines reversed a 2018 government order to shut down a prominent media organisation today, marking a legal victory for journalists who angered former President Rodrigo Duterte by reporting on his alarming human rights record.

The Court of Appeals ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to restore the certificates of incorporation of Rappler, an online news outfit founded by 2021 Nobel peace prize co-winner Maria Ressa, in a decision issued July 23.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the SEC would appeal the ruling.