Overview
- The Tacloban Regional Trial Court found Cumpio and former roommate Marielle Domequil guilty of financing terrorism and set prison terms ranging from 12 years 5 months to 18 years 8 months.
- Judge Georgina Uy Perez acquitted both defendants on a separate illegal weapons charge stemming from their 2020 arrest.
- Cumpio has been detained since February 2020, with the terror-financing charge added more than a year after the initial weapons case.
- Advocacy groups including CPJ, Reporters Without Borders and the Clooney Foundation for Justice condemned the verdict, and UN rapporteur Irene Khan has said the charges appeared retaliatory.
- Diplomats from the Media Freedom Coalition observed the hearing, and the presidential office previously told CPJ it would uphold due process when urged to secure Cumpio’s release.