KARAPATAN to PNP: Stop the psychological torture of the nine detained SONA protesters
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
29 July 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
KARAPATAN to PNP: Stop the psychological torture of the nine detained SONA protesters
KARAPATAN denounces the psychological torture inflicted on the nine individuals arrested and detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) in Camp Karingal following the SONA rally on Monday.
According to reports, they were subjected to interrogation inside a closed room without the presence of their lawyers. They were questioned about their personal information, compelled to identify individuals who participated in the protest, and pressured to admit that they were members of an organization called "Vandals United."
In a separate round of interrogation, three men claiming to be representatives of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) approached the detainees. When the detainees demanded that they present identification to verify their identities, the men refused, claiming that doing so would compromise their confidentiality.
These acts constitute psychological torture and violate the detainees' constitutional rights, including their right to counsel during custodial investigation. Under Section 4(b) of Republic Act No. 9745, or the Anti-Torture Act of 2009, mental or psychological torture includes prolonged interrogation and other analogous acts calculated to affect or confuse the mind and undermine a person's dignity and morale.
KARAPATAN warns the Philippine National Police (PNP) to keep its hands off the detainees and immediately cease all forms of intimidation, coercion, and psychological torture. The PNP bears full responsibility for the safety, security, and physical and psychological well-being of the detainees while they remain under police custody. Any further attempt to interrogate, threaten, deceive, or pressure them outside the presence of their lawyers will only deepen the PNP's liability for grave violations of their constitutional rights and the Anti-Torture Act.
The coercive interrogations conducted without counsel, the pressure exerted on the detainees to identify individuals and to forcibly admit membership in an organization, and the apparent impersonation of members of the NUPL and the Commission on Human Rights were clearly intended to intimidate, confuse, threaten and harass the detainees.
These tactics have no place in a democratic society supposedly governed by the rule of law. KARAPATAN demands that the PNP immediately end these abusive practices, ensure the detainees' unfettered access to their lawyers and families, and release them.
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. It was established in 1995.