Amnesty International and local human rights groups are calling on the national government to review cases filed under anti-terror laws following the acquittal of child rights advocate Ma. Salome “Sally” Ujano.

The Court of Appeals (CA) recently overturned a 2024 conviction against Ujano, the former national coordinator of Philippines Against Child Trafficking.

Ujano had been sentenced by a Taguig trial court to 10 to 17 years in prison for a 2005 rebellion case involving an ambush of military personnel in Quezon Province.

In its ruling, the appellate court stated that the evidence failed to establish “with the required moral certainty” that Ujano participated in the alleged rebellion.

Amnesty International characterized Ujano’s nearly three-year legal battle as a “clear miscarriage of justice” and part of a broader pattern of using criminal proceedings to harass journalists, development workers, and human rights defenders.

“It was no surprise that Ujano was acquitted, since she should not have been charged in the first place,” the organization said in a statement.

The group urged the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act, arguing the law grants “excessive and unchecked powers” prone to arbitrary enforcement.

Ujano, who was arrested in November 2021, expressed relief upon her release and reunion with her family. “Finally, truth and justice prevailed,” she said.

Her son, Klaro Ujano, cited that the decision restores the family’s faith in the legal system while affirming that the accusations were baseless.

The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates hailed the ruling as a landmark victory against impunity. Secretary-General Edgar Cabalitan cautioned, however, that many other activists remain detained on similar “trumped-up” charges and called for the dismissal of all baseless cases used to suppress dissent.

Rights groups are now intensifying their push for the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act to prevent the further intimidation of advocates and the filing of fabricated charges.