The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
January 23, 2026

Filipino Radio Journalist Sentenced to Up to 18 Years in Prison
---------------------------------------------------------------

In the Philippines, a radio journalist has been sentenced to between 12
and 18 years in prison in a case widely condemned by press freedom
groups. Frenchie Mae Cumpio has been jailed since February 2020, when
she and four others were arrested for allegedly having ties to the
Communist Party of the Philippines. She was convicted of terror
financing. U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion
Irene Khan has criticized Cumpio's prosecution, saying the charges were
filed "in retaliation for her work as a journalist."


.