The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday joined four press freedom organizations in urging Philippine President 1 Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and its Department of Justice to end the detention of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio 2 , who has been behind bars for more than five years.
The groups said in a joint statement, led by CPJ, that the 26-year-old journalist’s case raises “serious concerns” over unjustifiably long pretrial detention and allegations 3 that authorities had planted 4 the weapons that led to Cumpio’s arrest 5 in February 2020.
The journalist concluded her testimony on Monday at a local court, defending herself against charges 6 of illegal firearms possession and terrorism financing, which she denies. If convicted, she faces up to 40 years in prison.
No verdict date has been set while a trial continues for those co-accused with Cumpio. CPJ has been monitoring 7 the journalist’s trial.
Read the full statement here 8 .
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists 9 and was authored by CPJ Staff.