The Philippine government continues to make a mockery of the international statutes it is bound to uphold by refusing to facilitate the release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, Marielle Domequil, and Alexander Abinguna, three of the Tacloban 5 whose continued detention violates international law.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention says the prolonged detention of three Filipino activists violates international human-rights standards. In an opinion released on July 24, 2026, the Working Group finds their cases fall directly within its definition of “arbitrary” detention.
In the Opinion No. 22/2026, adopted during the Working Group’s 105th session on March 23 to April 1, 2026, the UN body ruled that the detention of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, church worker Marielle Domequil, and human rights defender Alexander Abinguna violates the protections guaranteed under international law.
The UN opinion lays out five categories under which detention is considered “arbitrary,” including cases with no clear legal basis, detentions linked to the exercise of protected rights such as freedom of expression and association, serious violations of fair-trial guarantees, extended detention without meaningful review, and discriminatory detention.
“The Working Group also notes a striking lack of any factual or legal substantiation for the criminal charges against the three, especially in the light of the acquittal of Ms. Cumpio and Ms. Domequil for charges related to the illegal possession of firearms and explosives and the dismissal of the murder and attempted murder case against Ms. Cumpio, which renders their arrest, detention and prosecution a thinly veiled pretext for politically motivated persecution that is devoid of any legal basis,” the opinion stated.
The petition was filed in September 2025 by Freedom Now and the law firm Dechert LLP. The opinion cites the Working Group’s transmission of a communication to the Philippine government on October 27, 2025 but the government did not respond. The opinion also reiterated that the Philippines is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The three of the ‘Tacloban 5’ have been detained since February 2020 following raids in Tacloban City, first tied to allegations of illegal possession of firearms and explosives before prosecutors later filed terrorism-financing accusations to Cumpio and Domequil. In January 2026, a Tacloban regional court dismissed the Illegal Possession of Firearms and Explosives case but convicted Cumpio and Domequil of terrorism financing and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 years — moves rights groups and UN experts have denounced as unjust—while Abinguna’s case remains pending, with him still detained.
“Frenchie Mae Cumpio, Marielle Domequil, and Alexander Abinguna have spent more than six years imprisoned on baseless, false charges directed at their activism,” said Freedom Now Legal Officer Adam Lhedmat. “We welcome the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision and renew our call to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to uphold his promises to protect press freedom and rectify these politically motivated detentions. President Marcos should immediately pardon Frenchie and Marielle and ensure no further judicial harassment against Alexander, who is being tried in a separate case.”
Freedom Now said the decision concluded that the government offered no legal justification compatible with international law and called for the immediate release of all three.
In a statement, human rights group Karapatan also welcomes the opinion adopted by the UN body. “The inordinate delay of the court proceedings that has prolonged their detention is an additional layer of injustice against the three. Their release should immediately be given due course,” Karapatan’s secretary general Cristina Palabay said.
The case has drawn alarm and concern from UN experts and rights organizations. In March 2026, five UN experts urged Philippine courts to grant bail and release Cumpio and Domequil, pointing to the “unconscionable” length of detention, while human rights groups have called for the charges to be dropped and for the three activists to be freed unconditionally.
