GENEVA, Switzerland—A voice once filled with promise remains silenced behind bars. United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan has renewed her call for the immediate release of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, describing her prolonged detention as an “absolute shame” and a stark failure of justice.
Speaking during a press conference days after presenting her final report to the UN Human Rights Council, Khan expressed deep concern that Cumpio—alongside fellow detainees Marielle Domequil and Alexander Abinguna—has already spent over five years in detention, despite not being convicted of any crime.
“They’ve lost years of their lives. Even if they’re found innocent in the end, that time is gone,” Khan said solemnly. “A trial at a snail’s pace is injustice.”
Cumpio was 20 when she was arrested in 2020 as part of the so-called “Tacloban 5” on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, followed by allegations of terrorism financing—charges that carry no option for bail.
She was the lone journalist behind bars in the country, her case emblematic of what observers describe as the creeping criminalization of dissent.
Khan rejected the Philippine government’s assertion that due process is being observed, citing red-tagging and the suspicious nature of Cumpio’s arrest.
Her report documented significant concerns over state pressure and prosecutorial delays that have effectively stalled justice.
Despite being discouraged by some officials, Khan visited the detainees in early 2024. What she found only deepened her alarm.
“That’s half a decade. She was just 20 then. She’s 25 now,” she said. “This is an absolutely horrendous miscarriage of justice right under our eyes.”
The UN expert also said that Cumpio’s case shows that the Philippine justice system “almost becomes a system for harassing.” (ZIA LUNA)
