THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has been asked to dismiss the charges against a journalist and two human rights activists accused of violating Republic Act (RA) No. 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.
In a letter addressed to DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the free press advocacy groups Altermidya Network, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), and the College Editors Guild
of the Philippines (CEGP) sought the dismissal of the case filed by the military against journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights advocates Mariel Domequil and Alexander Philip Abinguna.
The groups requested Remulla to conduct “an immediate review and dismissal of the charges against them, should evidence be lacking.”
They also reminded the DOJ chief that as secretary of justice, he issued a directive to prosecutors to “only file cases with a reasonable certainty of conviction.”
“We thus implore your office to undertake a comprehensive review of their cases, aiming for their prompt dismissal,” the petitioners said.
Citing the 2023 Global Prison Census of the Committee to Protect Journalists, the organizations said Cumpio is “the only journalist remaining in prison in the Philippines, a fact that severely tarnishes the country’s commitment to press freedom.”
The three were arrested on Feb. 7, 2020 at the Eastern Vista staff house in Tacloban City, Leyte during a series of raids conducted by the military while implementing search warrants against alleged safe houses of the communist terrorist group.
The raiders claimed they found firearms in the safe house.
“Today, 7 February 2024, distressingly marks four years since their detention on charges related to terrorism financing, following a circuitous legal battle that had their families and legal counsel appearing in various courts in the past years. Their continued detention and the prolonged litigation process underscore the urgency
for action,” the groups told Remulla.
They pointed out that the recent visit of United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to the detainees “have brought to light the unjust state of their prolonged detention.”
Apart from the dismissal of the case against the three detainees, the three organizations also asked the DOJ “to conduct an impartial and thorough investigation into how state prosecutors and various government instrumentalities – at the national and local level – have
been weaponizing laws to attack journalists and perceived critics.”
They noted that “illegal possession of guns and explosives charges has become standard complaints against government critics, buttressing doubts as to the credibility of the service and the Department itself.”
“It is imperative that such practices, which undermine democracy and human rights, are ended immediately,” the groups stressed.
According to them, the DOJ should “fulfil its obligations to promote, respect, and protect human rights by taking meaningful steps to foster an environment that enables press freedom in the Philippines” as well as “to lead the way in reviewing and advocating for the repeal of
existing laws and policies that have been used to harass journalists and human rights defenders, which include Republic Act No. 11479 or the ‘Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020’.”