On 14 January, Filipino poet, writer, and activist Amanda Echanis was acquitted of weapons and explosives charges after spending more than five years in detention. The court found the prosecution failed to establish the elements of the case.
Although a welcome decision, much harm was done to Echanis and her family. She was arrested while caring for her then one-month-old child, and her prosecution took years from her and her family. Confinement is punishment in itself. No state can justify the detention of writers and activists on what the court described as “mere speculations and probabilities”.
PEN Sydney is proud to have supported Amanda during her confinement with our letter-writing campaign in November 2024, and we now renew calls for Philippine authorities to investigate the circumstances of Echanis’ arrest promptly and transparently.
“This acquittal confirms what Amanda Echanis has said from the beginning: the charge against her was baseless. Her case is a stark reminder of how red-tagging and fabricated charges continue to be used to silence writers, activists, and human rights defenders in the Philippines”. Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.
Amanda Echanis is free, but Philippine authorities continue to curail freedom of expression.
Dominic Anderton