CPJ, more than 250 journalists urge PBBM to free Frenchie Mae Cumpio

Frenchie Mae Cumpio has been held in prison for more than five years.

New York—More than 250 journalists and representatives from media groups around the world on September 24, 2025, called for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to take “decisive action” and immediately release journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, in a letter coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition.

The 26-year-old journalist has been detained for more than five years, while her trial on charges of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism moves slowly through the court, in a case a United Nations expert called “a travesty of justice.” Cumpio is the only journalist imprisoned in the Philippines for her work. If convicted, she faces up to 40 years in jail.

“It is unconscionable to hold Frenchie Mae Cumpio in prison for even one more day,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “President Marcos Jr. must seize the opportunity to right past wrongs and release Cumpio. He has said his role as president is to defend press freedom. Now it’s time to show he means business and end this injustice.”

Cumpio’s trial is set to resume on September 29. In the letter, the signatories said her detention “is not only a denial of justice but also a contradiction” of Marcos’ stated commitment to press freedom. The letter called on the president to demonstrate “the highest respect for human rights” as the Philippines prepares to assume chairmanship of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year.

The #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition includes CPJ, media groups AlterMidya, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Reporters Without Borders, and Free Press Unlimited. The coalition has repeatedly raised concerns over Cumpio’s prolonged detention and allegations that authorities planted the weapons that led to her arrest in February 2020.

CPJ has been advocating for Cumpio’s release for years. In mid-2022, CPJ wrote to Marcos, then president-elect, calling for charges against Cumpio to be dropped, and the following year traveled to eastern Philippines, where she is being held, to advocate for her freedom. CPJ was part of an international coalition that was denied a prison visit in June 2025.