The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), an organization of former political prisoners in the Philippines, stands in solidarity with the International League of Peoples’ Struggles (ILPS) and oppressed peoples worldwide in commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War on December 3, 2024.
Together with ILPS member-organizations around the world, SELDA urgently calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of war.
In the Philippines, 757 political prisoners remain unjustly detained in various facilities. They include farmers, labor organizers, urban poor advocates, media practitioners, educators, environmental defenders, human rights advocates, and peace workers—individuals who have courageously stood for the Filipino people’s rights and interests against exploitation and oppression. These detainees face fabricated charges meant to silence dissent and intimidate government critics.
Among them are 156 women political prisoners, 103 of whom are elderly. The eldest among them, 79-year old Rosita Taboy, tragically lost her husband, Antonio Legaspi, who died of a heart attack in April 2024 while under solitary confinement, less than a year after their arrest. Additionally, 103 political prisoners suffer from serious illnesses and urgently require medical attention.
SELDA also condemns the unjust detention of 17 peace consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). These include Simeon “Ka Filiw” Naogsan, spokesperson of the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front, who was arrested on October 21, 2024. Just three days later, on October 24, 2024, NDFP peace consultant Wigberto Villarico was arrested in Barangay Fairview, Quezon City, with his companion, Marjorie Lizada, in a raid conducted by military and police forces.
SELDA calls on the Philippine government to immediately drop all trumped-up charges against political prisoners and to facilitate their unconditional release.
Furthermore, SELDA stands in solidarity with political prisoners and prisoners of war from Palestine, West Papua, South Molucca, Kurdistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Iran, Peru, Turkey, India and the United States. We fully support their struggles for justice and freedom.
As repressive governments and US imperialism continue to wage violence against activists and freedom fighters globally, and imprison and abduct them, SELDA calls on the Filipino people to strengthen international solidarity. Together, let us fight oppression and injustice, and advance the struggle for human rights, justice and freedom worldwide.
