DAVAO CITY – Coinciding with the Mother’s Day celebration on Sunday, women’s rights activists launched an online petition calling for the immediate release of women political prisoners in the Philippines.
The petition, which can be seen at http://chn.ge/1EjBbQm, highlights the cases of political prisoners Miradel Torres and Andrea Rosal.
Rosal, 32, was pregnant with her first child when arrested on March 27, 2014. Rosal is the daughter of the late NPA spokesman Roger Rosal. Rosal was arrested March 27 last year.
Rosal’s daughter who was born on March 17 died a day after her birth due to lack of oxygen. Militant groups blame the “unreasonable delays” in bringing Rosal to the hospital for the baby’s death.
Meanwhile, Torres, 27, was pregnant with her second child when she was arrested on June 20, 2014. The campaign initiators said Torres, a member of Gabriela, was charged with fabricated criminal charges. She gave birth to her baby boy last November 2014 at the Philippine General Hospital and she continues to rear the baby in jail.
Rosal and Torres are among the 42 women political prisoners out of the 485 total political prisoners in the Philippines.
The initiators of the petition include actress and beauty queen Maria Isabel Lopez, former congresswoman Liza Maza, film maker Kiri Dalena, and Karapatan spokesperson Cristina Palabay.
They also encourage netizens to use the following hashtags: #CelebrateMothers #FreeAndreaPH #FreeMiradelPH #FreeOurSistersPH.(davaotoday. com)
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