Rights group to gov't : Free pregnant political prisoner

MANILA, Philippines - Rights group Karapatan on Wednesday called on the government to release for humanitarian grounds a suspected member of the communist movement who is about to give birth to her baby.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said Maria Miradel Torres, 26, is expecting to deliver her a baby boy today.

"Torres should be immediately released for just and humanitarian reasons. Aside from the utterly baseless charges against her, the Aquino government is committing further injustice by depriving her and her baby a healthy and nurturing environment in keeping her detained,"  Palabay said.

She said that Torres was brought to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) yesterday for a check-up but she was immediately admitted after undergoing medical examination.

Torres, a member of Gabriela in Mauban, Quezon, was four months pregnant when arrested last June 20 in Lucena City by joint elements of the Philippine National Police Special Weapons and Tactics and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

She is charged with murder and frustrated murder at the Infanta Regional Trial Court, Quezon province. The alias warrant of arrest used as basis for the arrest of Torres was issued by the court only on June 20, on the day of her arrest.

According to Torres, she was not examined by Bureau of Jail Management and Penology physician, Dr. Jaime Claveria Jr., since she was transferred to the Taguig City Jail-Female Dorm on June 25.

Despite the doctor’s order for complete bed rest due to threatened abortion, Torres was transferred to Taguig City Jail in Camp Bagong Diwa from Camp General Guillermo Nakar Station Hospital at the Solcom headquarters in Lucena City.

At the Taguig City Jail, Torres had bunked with three other inmates, one of whom reportedly has tuberculosis.

Torres was assigned to sleep on the third deck of the bed. BJMP personnel confiscated her medicine and supplements for pregnancy upon admission at the Taguig City Jail.

To date, Karapatan said Torres is among the 487 political prisoners in the country, 53 of them are ailing and 40 are elderly.