The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) is calling on newly elected senators and house representatives to immediately push for the release of women and children’s rights advocate Sally Ujano, who has now spent a full year in detention over trumped-up charges. The group emphasized that securing her freedom should be among the first acts of genuine public service in the new Congress.


“We call on all newly elected senators and house representatives to facilitate the release of Sally Ujano, an innocent human rights defender facing fabricated accusations,” said Edgar Cabalitan, PAHRA Secretary-General. “Her continued detention is not only a personal injustice but a reflection of how our legal system fails to protect those who stand up for the most vulnerable.”


Ujano, who has spent decades working on issues of human trafficking and violence against women, was arrested in 2021 over a rebellion charge from the early 2000s, despite having lived and worked publicly for years under her real name. Her arrest was widely condemned by human rights groups as an attack on civil society actors under a repressive climate.


“We urge Congress to initiate a congressional review or inquiry into the politically motivated conviction of Sally Ujano,” said Edgar Cabalitan, PAHRA Secretary-General. “Kailangang silipin kung paano ginagamit ang batas para patahimikin ang mga tagapagtanggol ng karapatang pantao.”


PAHRA also called out the glaring double standards in the justice system, where powerful and well-connected individuals are granted swift legal relief and airtime, while human rights defenders like Ujano are left behind, often without due process.


“Ang simpleng tagapagtanggol ng karapatang pantao, isang taon nang nakakulong nang walang hustisya, samantalang ang mga makapangyarihang inaakusahan ay agad napapakinggan ng korte,” Cabalitan emphasized. “Kung tunay kayong lingkod-bayan, unahin ninyo ang hustisya para sa mga tulad ni Sally, hindi ang pagprotekta sa mga nasa kapangyarihan.”