Freedom Now strongly condemns the conviction of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights defender Marielle Domequil who were sentenced to 12-18 years in prison on charges of financing terrorism. We call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to uphold his promises to protect press freedom and rectify these politically motivated convictions clearly aimed at silencing government critics. President Marcos should immediately pardon both women and ensure no further judicial harassment against their colleague Alexander Abinguna, who is being tried in a separate case.
Cumpio is the executive director of the Eastern Vista news website and a local radio news anchor whose reporting focused on alleged human rights abuses perpetrated by the police and military. Domequil is a community organizer with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and a women’s rights activist. They were arrested in February 2020 during a series of pre-dawn police raids in Tacloban City and baselessly accused of supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing. The government has used this tactic, known as “red-tagging,” to silence independent, critical voices by labeling them as communists, subversives, or terrorists.
Today’s verdict highlights the arbitrary nature of the case as several different judicial bodies have recently dismissed various claims against Cumpio and Domequil. In November 2025, a Filipino court ruled to dismiss a parallel civil case brought against Cumpio and Domequil. Another quashed unfounded murder charges that had been brought against Cumpio. Additionally, as part of today’s ruling the Tacloban Regional Court acquitted Cumpio and Domequil on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, despite the prosecution’s assertion that weapons were found along with the money used to substantiate the terrorism financing conviction.
In September 2025, Freedom Now and Dechert LLP filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Cumpio, Domequil, and Abinguna. A decision is currently pending.