Chantal has been surfaced, but remains in military custody. Time is of the essence—release Chantal now!
After a tireless week of grassroots campaigning from the Philippines, United States, and all over the world, Chantal Anicoche—a 24 year-old Filipino community leader from Maryland—has finally been surfaced. Our celebration was cut short, however, upon learning that Chantal remains in military custody despite having no case whatsoever filed against her. We demand her immediate release now.
Chantal went missing for a week after being caught in the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) indiscriminate aerial bombing and strafing attack in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on New Year's Day. She was in the area to learn from and help conduct relief work with rural communities directly impacted by environmental disasters and poverty.
On January 8, videos were released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 203rd Infantry Brigade showing they had "found" Chantal. We find the credibility of the videos to be highly questionable. She appears visibly scared and possibly under duress, especially as a civilian being surrounded by armed personnel from the very same brigade responsible for the bombings. If she was really found only 500 meters (0.3 miles) from the site of the army's attack as they claim, why did it take the AFP one whole week to find her? And why did the military block fact-finding missions from human rights organizations from conducting their own search?
We cannot eliminate the possibility that the military already had custody of Chantal before, and that the videos were staged and released after the campaign to surface her brought mass international attention to her disappearance. We are justifiably concerned for Chantal's safety given the AFP's decades-long track record of human rights violations, including the planting of evidence to fabricate criminal charges.
We raise alarm over the remarks of soldiers looking for "guns" and "explosives" where they "found" Chantal, which may now be being used by the military as a pretext to claim she is a "person of interest." The use of trumped up charges of illegal possession of firearms has long been used to silence people who are witness to government crimes. Just last month, fake cases were lodged against Ramon Alcantara and Mike Cabangon for their anti-corruption advocacy. Their cases justify our concern as the government readily turns to lies and repression to cover up its crimes against the people—whether plunder of public funds or militarization of communities.
As BAYAN USA, Migrante USA, and the vast community of Chantal's loved ones fighting for her release, we demand that lawyers and human rights groups be given full access to her while in custody to ensure protection of her rights, safety, and well-being. She must not be put under any form of torture, interrogation, threat, harassment, and intimidation from the hands of any unit of the AFP. And above all else, Chantal must be released now to her loved ones and community.
Time is of the essence. We call on Filipinos across the U.S. and our friends in solidarity to continue demanding for Chantal's freedom, for justice for all victims of the Cabacao Massacre—including Jerlyn Doydora, and the Mangyan children who were killed—and an end to the attacks and violations of international humanitarian law in Mindoro.
#ReleaseChantal #PalayainSiChantal #DefendMindoro
Release Chantal Anicoche!
Justice for Jerlyn Doydora!
Justice for victims of the Cabacao Massacre!
Justice for the 188 families displaced by bombing!
Stop the bombings! Stop the killings! Stop the attacks!
End U.S.-backed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Philippines!
End de facto martial law in Mindoro!