Rights groups seek release of detained peasant leader

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By Juliane Judilla

Six years after the arrest of peasant leader and former barangay captain German Allesa, human rights advocates and peasant groups held a picket protest at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol on November 10 to demand his immediate release, calling it an “illegal and unjust detention.”

The protest, led by Panay Alliance Karapatan (PAK) and KAPATID Panay, also called for the release of all political prisoners, the dropping of trumped-up charges against activists, and an end to red-tagging and state-sponsored persecution.

Allesa formerly served as punong barangay of Barangay Bolo in Maasin, Iloilo, and later as the town’s environmental officer.

He was an active member of Asosasyon sang mga Mangunguma sa Maasin (AMMA), Paghugpong sang Mangunguma sa Panay kag Guimaras (PAMANGGAS), and KAPAWA–Maasin, all known for campaigns on agrarian reform, peasant rights, and environmental protection.

On November 10, 2019, heavily armed and masked police operatives arrested Allesa at his home, allegedly recovering a grenade above his stove — a claim human rights groups have long denounced as planted evidence.

The PNP Regional Office VI later claimed the arrest was part of its counterinsurgency operations against the New People’s Army.

Rights groups said the charges were clearly politically motivated and reflective of a wider crackdown on dissent.

Panay Alliance Karapatan said Allesa’s case illustrates the “weaponization of the law” against activists.

It noted that illegal possession of explosives — a non-bailable offense — is one of the most common charges used against the country’s 737 documented political prisoners.

Despite six years of detention, Allesa’s case remains unresolved, with state prosecutors reportedly completing their presentation of evidence only this year — far beyond the 180-day trial period set by the rules of court.

“For detainees like Allesa, the so-called ‘day in court’ has become an insult rather than a constitutional guarantee,” PAK and KAPATID said in a joint statement.

“To say that justice in the Philippines moves at a snail’s pace is unfair to the snail — even it does not need six years to get from one point to another,” they added.

In a June 2025 report, UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan described judicial proceedings in the Philippines as “glacial” and “remarkably slow,” citing similar cases involving activists detained on fabricated charges.

She called such prolonged detentions a “travesty of justice, equating the innocent with the guilty.”

“Even if those falsely accused were released today, the years lost to unjust imprisonment can never be recovered,” the groups said.

“Meanwhile, human rights violators and corrupt officials continue to enjoy impunity and power,” they added.

The groups urged the Marcos Jr. administration to fix the judicial system’s delays and end the red-tagging and prosecution of activists based on false charges.