Karapatan, SELDA call for release of political prisoners

Human rights groups Karapatan and the Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) on Wednesday held a protest at the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the release of political prisoners.

Aside from the release of political prisoners, the protesters also called for the imprisonment of alleged corrupt government officials.

LOOK: Human rights groups Karapatan and Selda hold a protest at the DOJ for the release of political prisoners @gmanews pic.twitter.com/118uMK2GOP

— Joahna Lei Casilao (@joahnacasilao) December 3, 2025

In a statement, Selda spokesperson Adora Faye de Vera said there are 696 political prisoners nationwide, of which 89 are elderly and 93 are seriously ill.

“Most political prisoners are peasant and labor organizers, human rights defenders, development workers and even ordinary citizens slapped by the DOJ with trumped-up criminal cases on mere suspicion of supporting the revolutionary movement,” she said.

Meanwhile, Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said the Anti-Terror Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act are being “increasingly weaponized” by the DOJ as instruments of repression.

The DOJ declined to comment on the matter.—AOL, GMA Integrated News