(Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for International Women’s Media Foundation)
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition congratulates Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio for being the recipient of the 2026 Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation.
This recognition is a powerful testament to Cumpio’s courage and unwavering commitment to journalism – and yet another reminder that she must be released from prison immediately and unconditionally.
Cumpio remains unjustly held for her critical reporting and has been behind bars for nearly seven years, despite sustained and widespread international condemnation of her case.
The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has recently concluded that the detention of Cumpio and two other human rights defenders arrested alongside her is arbitrary, and called for their immediate release.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his government must heed the call and release Cumpio immediately. She belongs in a newsroom, not in prison.
