UN experts urge release for Philippines journalists convicted on financing terrorism - JURIST - News

## Summary
News Ichigo121212 / Pixabay UN experts on Thursday condemned the conviction of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights defender Marielle Domequil in the Philippines on charges of financing terrorism . Cumpio and Domequil were convicted on January 22, where the court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 years. The experts stated, “Given the serious concerns about the unconscionable length of time that the two young women have already spent in detention and the lack of due process, but also a possibility now of provisional release, we urge the court to grant them bail without any further delay.” Frenchie Mae Cumpio , now a 25-year-old investigative journalist, appeared before the Tacloban City Regional Court in November 2024 to defend herself against charges of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism , which can attract a maximum of 12 and 40 years imprisonment, respectively. The UN experts said Cumpio and Domequil were victims of ‘ red-tagging ,’ a practice wherein those investigating sensitive and controversial issues are labelled as “subversives” and “terrorists.” Cumpio’s trial began four years after her arrest, where she testified to her long detention before being allowed to exercise the principle of “presumption of innocence.” Human rights advocates claim her imprisonment violates Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

## Article Content
News
Ichigo121212
/ Pixabay
UN experts on Thursday
condemned
the conviction of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights defender Marielle Domequil in the Philippines on charges of
financing terrorism
. Cumpio and Domequil were convicted on January 22, where the court
sentenced
them to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 years.
The experts stated, “Given the serious concerns about the unconscionable length of time that the two young women have already spent in detention and the lack of due process, but also a possibility now of provisional release, we urge the court to grant them bail without any further delay.”
Frenchie Mae Cumpio
, now a 25-year-old investigative journalist, appeared before the Tacloban City Regional Court in November 2024 to defend herself against charges of
illegal possession of firearms
and
financing terrorism
, which can attract a maximum of 12 and 40 years imprisonment, respectively.
Reporters sans Frontières (RSF)
asserted
that the discovered firearms were planted in her residence in February 2020. She has been held in provisional custody ever since. In July 2021, the court placed a financing terrorism
charge
on her based on funds found in her office.
The UN experts said Cumpio and Domequil were victims of ‘
red-tagging
,’ a practice wherein those investigating sensitive and controversial issues are labelled as “subversives” and “terrorists.” Cumpio’s trial began
four years
after her arrest, where she testified to her long detention before being allowed to exercise the principle of “presumption of innocence.” Human rights advocates claim her imprisonment violates
Article 19
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
In the Philippines, over 200 journalists have been
killed
since 1987, many of them having worked for the
radio
. Female journalists
remain
in particular danger, facing sexual harassment, physical and online intimidation, and abuse. The country still
ranks
poorly on the RSF’s 2025 World Freedom Index, standing at 116 out of 180 countries.

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### Expert Commentary
This article covers cumpio, court, experts topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 319.