Amanda Echanis is Free! Free all Women Political Prisoners!
The International Women's Alliance celebrates the acquittal of Amanda Echanis. The ruling is a victory for justice and collective action after more than five years of unjust detention as a political prisoner. Echanis, a peasant organizer with our member organization Amihan, was arrested in Cagayan on December 2, 2020 with her one month old baby, just months after the extra-judicial killing of her father Randall Echanis, a peace consultant and agrarian reform activist, under the fascist Duterte regime. Her acquittal affirms what our member organizations in the Philippines have long declared - that the charges against Echanis were fabricated and supported by planted evidence, part of a broader pattern of repression against activists in the Philippines!
We condemn the violence she and her baby faced at the hands of the Philippine government, separating Echanis from her son Randall Emmanuel, who she reunited with outside the prison for the first time in more than 5 years after her release. Echanis' prolonged detention reflects the dangers faced by women activists and rights defenders who speak out against injustice in the Philippines. Echanis herself was a relentless advocate and defendant of peasant communities who are facing increased fascist attacks due to imperialist powers tightening their hold on semi-colonies, like the Philippines, and empowering their puppet regimes to further plunder the peoples wealth.
She continued her fight in detention, allowing us to learn form her determination in the fight for the people. The International Women's Alliance stands with our member organizations who are fighting for women held behind bars for their activism and those who have been martyred in the fight; Echanis' victory after years of campaigning for her freedom gives hope to the women's movement! May we all have Echanis' fighting spirit and unwavering dedication until we free all women political prisoners!
Amanda Echanis is Free!
Defend our Sisters!
Free all Women Political Prisoners!