Philippines: Writer and activist Amanda Echanis acquitted after five years of unjust detention

Credit: Free Amanda Echanis Movement

“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.

14 January 2026: PEN International welcomes the acquittal of poet, writer, and activist Amanda Echanis. A court in Tuguegarao City cleared her of a charge of illegal possession of firearms and explosives after she spent more than five years in detention. According to media reports, the decision was dated 27 December 2025 but was made public only today.

In its ruling, the court found that the prosecution failed to establish the essential elements of the case. PEN International has long warned that the charge against Echanis bore the hallmarks of a politically motivated prosecution. Her arrest on 2 December 2020 raised serious concerns, including allegations of evidence planting and violations of due process.

Authorities arrested Echanis at her home while she was caring for her then one-month-old child. She was detained on charges routinely used against individuals who have been ‘red-tagged’—publicly accused, without evidence, of links to communist insurgency groups. Repeated delays kept her in prolonged pre-trial detention, undermining her right to a fair and timely trial.

While PEN International welcomes this long-overdue decision, justice delayed is justice denied. Authorities should never have imprisoned Amanda Echanis, and no court ruling can restore the years taken from her and her family.

In light of this acquittal, PEN International renews its call on Philippine authorities to conduct independent and transparent investigations into the circumstances of Echanis’ arrest, including allegations of evidence planting. The organisation also urges an end to red-tagging, which continues to chill freedom of expression. PEN International further calls for the immediate release of all those still detained on politically motivated charges and for the enactment of concrete measures to ensure that writers and activists can work in the Philippines without fear of reprisal.

Background

Amanda Echanis has had a lifelong history with the Philippine justice system. In 1990, when she was less than two years old, she was held with her parents at a custodial detention centre after her father, a prominent activist for rural workers’ rights, was arrested on charges identical to those later brought against her. The case against Amanda’s father was dismissed in 1992. Three decades later, just months before Amanda Echanis’ arrest, in August 2020, her father was brutally murdered in a case that remains unsolved.

A writer and activist in her own right, Amanda Echanis is a graduate in creative writing from the Philippine High School for the Arts. In 2006, she published her first book, Tatlong Paslit na Alaala (Three Childhood Memories), a collection of stage plays examining the struggles of children across different socio-political contexts. She later deepened her involvement in social justice work, focusing on both urban and rural poverty. In 2014, she published the screenplay Nanay Mamen, which depicted the life of renowned anti-poverty activist Carmen ‘Nanay Mamen’ Deunida. Prior to her arrest, Echanis was also an organiser with the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women in Cagayan.

Detention did not silence Echanis. Even while imprisoned, she continued to write and engage in literary life. She published Binhi ng Paglaya (Seeds of Liberation) and took part in writing workshops. In 2025, she made history as the first political prisoner elected to the University of the Philippines Diliman Student Council, underscoring the depth of public support for her work and her cause.

Note to editors:

For further details, contact Michael Altman Rosen-Lupu, Head of Asia/Pacific Region at PEN International: [email protected]

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International:  [email protected]