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The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, condemned the Philippines on Monday for depriving a journalist of her right to a fair trial without delay. Khan urged the authorities to resolve her case promptly.
Frenchie Mae Cumpio, now a 25-year-old investigative journalist, appeared before the Tacloban City Regional Court on Monday to defend her charges of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism, which can attract a maximum of 12 and 40 years imprisonment respectively. The authorities discovered firearms, which Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) argued were fabricated, in her residence in February 2020. She has been held in provisional custody for four years ever since. In July 2021, the state prosecutor charged her with financing terrorism based on the funds found in her office.
On the same day, several civil rights and journalist groups protested outside the Philippines’ Department of Justice, urging authorities to immediately release Frenchie Mae Cumpio and drop all charges against her. The International Association of Women in Radio and Television echoed these concerns, describing her prolonged custody as “a gross violation of the principles of fairness and due process.” The association maintained that the prolonged detention aims to silence her and discontinue her investigative journalism.
Under Articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, states are required to conduct timely criminal trials. Failure to do so not only infringes on fundamental rights but also increases the risk of indefinite detention. International law upholds the right to a fair trial and due process, even in the context of countering terrorism.
RSF added that the authorities strategically targeted Frenchie Mae Cumpio to deter investigative journalism in the country because of her role as the director of Easter Vista, a media outlet committed to reporting on marginalized communities, and the host of a radio program that revealed military and police abuses. RSF argued that her prosecution is part of the notorious “red-tagging” practices–labeling journalists and human rights activists as terrorists to deter human rights advocacy in the country. Relatedly, Amnesty International also called for the halt of “red-tagging” on social media platforms, which target young activists in October.
The National Union of Journalists also called for the reform of the country’s anti-terror legislation, stating:
The post UN special rapporteur demands due process in Philippines for journalist facing terrorism charges appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Frenchie Mae Cumpio, now a 25-year-old investigative journalist, appeared before the Tacloban City Regional Court on Monday to defend her charges of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism, which can attract a maximum of 12 and 40 years imprisonment respectively. The authorities discovered firearms, which Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) argued were fabricated, in her residence in February 2020. She has been held in provisional custody for four years ever since. In July 2021, the state prosecutor charged her with financing terrorism based on the funds found in her office.
On the same day, several civil rights and journalist groups protested outside the Philippines’ Department of Justice, urging authorities to immediately release Frenchie Mae Cumpio and drop all charges against her. The International Association of Women in Radio and Television echoed these concerns, describing her prolonged custody as “a gross violation of the principles of fairness and due process.” The association maintained that the prolonged detention aims to silence her and discontinue her investigative journalism.
Under Articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, states are required to conduct timely criminal trials. Failure to do so not only infringes on fundamental rights but also increases the risk of indefinite detention. International law upholds the right to a fair trial and due process, even in the context of countering terrorism.
RSF added that the authorities strategically targeted Frenchie Mae Cumpio to deter investigative journalism in the country because of her role as the director of Easter Vista, a media outlet committed to reporting on marginalized communities, and the host of a radio program that revealed military and police abuses. RSF argued that her prosecution is part of the notorious “red-tagging” practices–labeling journalists and human rights activists as terrorists to deter human rights advocacy in the country. Relatedly, Amnesty International also called for the halt of “red-tagging” on social media platforms, which target young activists in October.
The National Union of Journalists also called for the reform of the country’s anti-terror legislation, stating:
RSF ranked the Philippines 134th out of 180 countries in 2024’s World Press Freedom Index.
The post UN special rapporteur demands due process in Philippines for journalist facing terrorism charges appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.