International media groups back call to free detained journalist

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January 21, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — International press freedom organizations yesterday reiterated the call for the release of detained community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, days before the scheduled promulgation of judgment on the charges filed against her.

“It’s time to end this charade and injustice,” Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said during a media briefing at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.

“The international community, including CPJ, is monitoring the trial because Cumpio’s case is significant globally, an emblematic of the challenges faced by journalists worldwide,” she added.

Cumpio was among the five people who were arrested in Tacloban City in February 2020 over what human rights groups described as trumped-up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives as well as terrorism financing.

At the time of her arrest, Cumpio was the executive editor of alternative media outfit Eastern Vista and a broadcaster for MBC’s “Aksyon Radyo.”

The Tacloban regional trial court is set to promulgate its verdict tomorrow.

Regardless of the verdict, Beh said that Cumpio’s case would have international ramifications.

United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion Irene Khan, during her visit to the Philippines in 2024, called the case a “travesty of justice.”

Aleksandra Bielakowska, advocacy manager of Reporters Without Borders, described Cumpio’s situation as a “judicial harassment” that was meant to silence her reporting.

She reiterated the groups’ call for President Marcos to secure Cumpio’s immediate release.

With the Philippines’ chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Bielakowska underscored the urgency for the government to demonstrate “the highest respect for human rights, law and press freedom.”

For Akriti Saraswat of the Free Pree Unlimited, Cumpio’s case has an “impact that is far reaching beyond the Philippines and has effects globally.”