Court frees activist-student leader Amanda Echanis after 5 years

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Echanis, arrested in 2020, made history in 2025 after becoming the first political prisoner to be elected as a councilor of UP Diliman's student council

MANILA, Philippines – A court has cleared activist and student leader Amanda Echanis of her illegal possession of firearms and explosives case filed in the middle of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown against activists and dissent.

“Matapos ang higit limang taong ‘di makatarungang pagkakaaresto ay nabasura na ang mga gawa-gawang kasong sinampa sa kanya ng pasistang estado,” the Free Amanda Echanis Movement said.

“Patunay ito na mananaig ang hustisya sa sama-samang pagkilos. Patunay ito ng kawalan ng kredibilidad ng reaksyunaryong estado. Patunay ito na mapapalaya rin natin ang iba pang mga bilanggong politikal!”

(After five years of unjust arrest, the trumped-up cases against are junked. This is a proof that justice will prevail through collective efforts. This is proof of the reactionary government’s lack of credibility. This is also proof that we can free other political prisoners.)

An organizer of Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women in Cagayan, Echanis was arrested on December 2, 2020 in Barangay Carupian, Baggao, Cagayan. She was arrested while tending to her then 10-month-old son.

During her arrest, Echani had just given birth to her son Randall, named after her father, peasant leader Randall “Ka Randy” Echanis, who was killed four months earlier.

Echanis said that during the raid, she and her family were forced out of the house and law enforcement agents allegedly planted firearms, ammunition, and explosives. She and her camp said the search warrant was only presented after the raid had begun.

“The legal counsel of Echanis noted that the supposed evidence used against her was found in a room which is not even occupied by Echanis and her child, further exposing the blatant planting of evidence to pin her down on the case,” human rights group Karapatan said.

“The acquittal of Amanda Echanis is a resounding indictment of the military and police’s campaign of political repression and fabrication of charges, and evidence,” Karapatan’s secretary general Cristina Palabay added.

In 2023, Echanis returned to college. She was a graduate of the Philippine High School for the Arts and re-enrolled in the University of the Philippines as a creative writing student.

She made history in 2025 after becoming the first political prisoner to be elected as a councilor of UP Diliman’s student council. She ran while in jail and eventually topped the race with over 4,800 votes. – Rappler.com