CPJ, partners call for Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s release ahead of court ruling on conviction

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a coalition of international and local press freedom organizations on Thursday in calling for the immediate release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio ahead of a court ruling on whether to grant a review of her bogus conviction for “financing terrorism.”

On March 23, the judge in Cumpio’s case is scheduled to decide on the defense’s motion for reconsideration of her conviction, along with a motion to review her bail.

Cumpio was denied bail on February 13 after a court in eastern Philippines convicted and sentenced her in January to between 12 and 18 years in prison on the charge of financing terrorism. She was acquitted on another charge of illegal possession of firearms, a non-bailable offense under Philippine law.

The 27-year-old has been imprisoned since her arrest in February 2020, when police claimed to have found firearms and grenades in her home. At the time, she was the executive director of the Eastern Vista news website and a radio news anchor, reporting extensively on alleged police and military abuses, as well as community welfare issues in Eastern Visayas. 

CPJ and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition have consistently raised concerns about allegations that authorities planted the weapons that led to her 2020 arrest. The #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition includes CPJ, AlterMidya, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Reporters Without Borders, and Free Press Unlimited.

Read the full statement here.