KARAPATAN welcomes acquittal of peasant organizer Amanda Echanis; demands accountability for rights violations

[KARAPATAN Public Information]

Press Release

14 January 2026

Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831

KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580

KARAPATAN welcomes acquittal of peasant organizer Amanda Echanis; demands accountability for rights violations

Human rights alliance KARAPATAN welcomed the acquittal of poet, writer, and peasant women’s organizer Amanda Echanis today, who spent more than five years in detention over trumped-up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Echanis, an organizer of the Cagayan chapter of the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, was arrested in the early morning of December 2, 2020 in Barangay Carupian, Baggao, Cagayan, while caring for her month-old infant son. Her arrest was part of a broader crackdown against peasant leaders and organizers in the region, marked by coordinated military and police raids, planted evidence, and baseless criminal charges aimed at silencing dissent.

“The acquittal of Amanda Echanis is a resounding indictment of the military and police’s campaign of political repression and fabrication of charges, and evidence,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of KARAPATAN. “This ruling confirms what we have long maintained: Amanda is innocent, and the charges against her were maliciously manufactured to punish her work among peasants and women.”

During the raid, Echanis and the family she was staying with were forced out of the house before security forces entered and allegedly planted firearms, ammunition, and explosives. A search warrant was only presented after the raid had already begun. The legal counsel of Echanis noted that the supposed evidence used against her was found in a room which is not even occupied by Echanis and her child, further exposing the blatant planting of evidence to pin her down on the case.

Echanis continued to assert her rights in detention, while being separated from her child. While in jail, she pursued her studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman, ran for student council, and was elected as the university’s Number 1 student councilor, an unprecedented victory for a political prisoner and a testament to her resilience and commitment to service.

KARAPATAN stressed that Echanis’ acquittal highlights the systematic use of trumped-up illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges against human rights defenders, which now comprise nearly half of all political prisoner cases nationwide. Many of these cases collapse only after years of unjust detention, often due to contradictory and perjured testimonies by arresting officers.

“Amanda Echanis should never have spent a single day in jail, much less five years robbed from her and her child,” Palabay said. “Those who ordered her arrest, planted evidence, lied in court, and prolonged her detention must be held criminally and administratively liable. Without accountability, these abuses will continue.”

The alliance reiterated its call for the immediate release of all political prisoners, many of whom remain behind bars under similarly fabricated charges, and for independent investigations into the conduct of state forces involved in political repression. There are currently 697 political prisoners in the country, according to KARAPATAN.

“Amanda’s freedom should be a welcome victory,” Palabay added. “However, there are more political prisoners that need to be freed from the charges that keep them in detention. Ultimately, an overhaul of a system that criminalizes protest, dissent, and perpetuates impunity, should be in place.”#

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Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights

2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District

Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101

Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146

Web: http://www.karapatan.org

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.