“A Well-Orchestrated Lie”: Jailed Filipino Journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio Speaks from Prison

June 27, 2025 – Philippines – 

At a United Nations Human Rights Council side event in Geneva on June 27, 2025, a powerful handwritten letter from detained Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio was read aloud by UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan. It marked the first time Cumpio, imprisoned since February 2020, was able to speak to the international community. Her message was both personal and political—a condemnation of the charges against her and a cry for justice after over five years behind bars without trial.

Cumpio, then 21, was arrested in a police raid in Tacloban City alongside fellow church worker Marielle Domequil. She was accused of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism—charges she insists are fabricated to silence her reporting. At the time of her arrest, she was the executive director of Eastern Vista, an independent media outlet critical of government abuses. Since then, she has remained in pre-trial detention, enduring legal delays and denied motions for dismissal. If convicted, she could face up to 40 years in prison.

In her letter, Cumpio described the ordeal as “a well-orchestrated lie,” writing that her life had been “taken away” through fabricated narratives that robbed her of time, dreams, and freedom. She reflected on being called brave, but admitted she often feels otherwise. “What you’ve done has brought light to this dark cell,” she told Khan, referring to the global support that has helped sustain her spirit.

Khan, who previously condemned her detention as a “travesty of justice,” reaffirmed her call for Cumpio’s immediate release. Press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, echoed this demand. Their joint request to visit Cumpio in prison earlier in June was denied, further highlighting the barriers she faces.

Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s case is emblematic of the shrinking space for press freedom in the Philippines. Her words—courageous, exhausted, unwavering—offer a stark reminder that in some parts of the world, journalism is treated not as a public service but as a crime. Her continued imprisonment underscores the urgent need for international pressure to end politically motivated prosecutions of journalists.

Reference – 

‘A well-orchestrated lie’: Detained Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio tells UN