Groups launch campaign to free all women political prisoners

Women’s rights activists have launched an online petition calling for the release of women political prisoners all over the country as the world celebrated Mother’s Day yesterday.

Among the women political prisoners they want freed are detained mothers Miradel Torres and Andrea Rosal.

The initiators of the petition include actress and beauty queen Maria Isabel Lopez, former Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza, film maker Kiri Dalena, and women human rights defender Cristina Palabay.

They also used the following hashtags: #CelebrateMothers #FreeAndreaPH #FreeMiradelPH #FreeOurSistersPH

Land rights activist Andrea Rosal, 32, was also pregnant with her first child when she was arrested on Mar. 27, 2014.

The case of Rosal, an organizer of peasants in Laguna, is similar to that of Torres’ — she was denied due process and accused of criminal offenses to impede her work as a woman human rights defender.

Subjected to inhumane conditions in jail, Rosal lost her baby a few days after she gave birth on May 2014.

Rosal is the daughter of the deceased spokesperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal.

She was abducted by the military when she was a child to force her father to surrender but released her after her illegal detention was condemned worldwide.

Torres, 27, was pregnant with her second child when she was illegally arrested on June 20, 2014.

A member of Gabriela, Torres was allegedly not accorded due process and is charged with fabricated criminal charges.

She gave birth to her baby boy last November 2014 at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and continued to rear the baby in jail.

There are 42 women political prisoners out of the 485 total political prisoners in the Philippines.

They are considered political prisoners since they were illegally arrested and imprisoned for their political beliefs and their work for social justice and human rights issues in the country.

“As a mother, I strongly empathize with Miradel and Andrea and all women political prisoners who are kept from or restricted in nurturing their children because they are unjustly detained,” said Maria Isabel Lopez.

For her part, Maza said “any arrest or imprisonment of women because of their political beliefs or exercise of their civil and political impedes the participation, especially of women at the grassroots in political processes, where their leadership is most needed.”

Dalena and Palabay, convenors of women’s rights group Tanggol Bayi, argued “these attacks against women human rights defenders should stop and they should immediately be released based on just and humanitarian grounds.”

The said petition, addressed to President Aquino, will also be circulated among international women’s rights groups.