A 26-year-old Filipino journalist, who had been imprisoned for almost six years in a crowded provincial jail, was convicted of terror financing on Thursday, a verdict that rights groups and a UN rapporteur had criticized as a grave miscarriage of justice.
Frenchie Cumpio, a community journalist and radio broadcaster, along with her former roommate Marielle Domequil, were visibly emotional as they were sentenced to 12-18 years in prison by Judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Tacloban regional court. While they were acquitted of a lesser weapons charge, they were found guilty of terror financing.
Following the verdict, Cumpio’s lawyer, Norberto Robel, announced plans to appeal the ruling, emphasizing that legal avenues, including a pending bail application, were still available.
The case drew significant attention from human rights organizations such as the Clooney Foundation for Justice, led by Amal Clooney, which raised concerns about the prolonged detention and slow legal proceedings. UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan had previously suggested that the charges against Cumpio were likely a form of retaliation against her journalistic work.
Cumpio and Domequil were arrested in February 2020 on weapons charges related to the alleged possession of a handgun and a grenade. Subsequently, a terror financing charge carrying a potential 40-year prison term was added over a year later.
Both Cumpio and her supporters maintained that she was a victim of “red-tagging,” a tactic used by the government to associate critics with communist insurgency to suppress dissent.
The Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Beh Lih Yi, denounced the court’s decision as “absurd,” criticizing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s purported commitments to press freedom as hollow. This marked the first instance of a journalist being charged with financing terrorism in the Philippines, highlighting what critics viewed as authorities’ efforts to stifle critical reporting.
Advocates for press freedom, including Aleksandra Bielakowska of Reporters Without Borders, condemned the verdict for disregarding the importance of a free press. Bielakowska emphasized that the Philippines should be a model for safeguarding media freedom, not a country that targets, prosecutes, and incarcerates journalists for simply carrying out their duties.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the case following the court’s decision. Earlier, over 250 journalists and media organizations had urged President Marcos to release Cumpio, dismissing the charges against her as baseless.
In statements before the verdict, Cumpio’s legal team criticized the misuse of the country’s anti-terror law to suppress dissenting voices in society. Meanwhile, Cumpio’s mother, Lala, expressed her concerns about her daughter’s situation, noting the restrictions on the delivery of food items to the prison and the impact on her younger son, who eagerly awaited his sister’s return.
As the verdict was delivered on Thursday, emotions ran high outside the courthouse, with Cumpio’s family visibly distraught over the outcome.