Human rights group wants ‘trumped-up charges’ vs indigenous people leader dropped

Screengrab from https://www.karapatan.org/

MANILA, Philippines—A human rights group on Sunday insisted that the ‘trumped-up charges’ filed against an indigenous people (IP) leader who was arrested and later released on bail Saturday should be dropped.

Genasque Enriquez, KATRIBU Partylist National Vice Chairperson and Kahugpungan sa mga Lumadnong Organisasyon sa Caraga (KASALO Caraga) secretary general, was arrested on Friday in Surigao City after attending a forum on People’s Congress for People’s Initiative and a press conference.

According to human rights group Karapatan, Enriquez was arrested without a warrant for frustrated murder charges by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Philippine National Police-Surigao City, and the 30th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA).

Enriquez was released Saturday after posting bail raised by a church group, people’s organizations, and civil society organizations.

Karapatan Caraga secretary general Naty Castro said that the arrest of Enriquez is “another case of harassment against progressive leaders and organizations to silence us amid the mounting public clamor for change.”

Castro also said that filing of ‘trumped-up charges’ is trending in Caraga and that names of civilians, leaders, and members of progressive organizations are added to criminal cases and are being tied with the New People’s Army.

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