Group welcomes Echanis acquittal, seeks accountability for alleged evidence planting
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Kapatid, a support group for political prisoners, welcomed the acquittal of activist Amanda Echanis by a Tuguegarao City court but also called for accountability for those allegedly involved in planting and fabricating evidence against activists.
The group, composed of families of political prisoners, said Echanis’ acquittal after more than five years in detention validates what it described as a broader pattern of manufactured criminal cases used against progressive individuals.
Kapatid said it welcomed the acquittal and release of Amanda Lacaba Echanis following five years of what it called unjust detention on fabricated charges, but stressed that similar tactics have been employed in other cases to deny bail and prolong imprisonment.
Echanis was arrested in December 2020 and was later acquitted by the Tuguegarao City Regional Trial Court after prosecutors failed to prove charges related to the alleged possession of firearms and explosives.
Her case drew national and international attention, particularly because she was detained shortly after giving birth.
Kapatid said Echanis’ arrest as a new mother underscored the human cost of what it described as systematic repression, adding that no court ruling could restore the years lost or undo the trauma suffered by her family.
While the group said the acquittal was a victory, it also described the ruling as an indictment of red-tagging and the filing of fabricated cases against activists.
Kapatid called for those responsible for allegedly planting evidence and violating human rights to be held accountable, not only in Echanis’ case but in other similar prosecutions.
It reiterated its demands for the release of all political prisoners, the dismissal of what it described as trumped-up charges, and an end to the criminalization of activism.
Kapatid and other human rights groups, including Karapatan and Gabriela Women's Party, have consistently maintained that the charges against Echanis were fabricated and part of a broader campaign of red-tagging and political repression against activists.
