KARAPATAN denounces the arbitrary arrest of martial law activist Tomas Dominado, who was arrested on December 5, 2024 on trumped-up charges of murder and rebellion, and his caregiver, who was slapped with charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and violation of the Anti-Terror Law for allegedly providing support to a “terrorist organization”.
The human rights group presses for urgent medical attention for and release on humanitarian grounds of Dominado, 74, who suffered a massive stroke last year that left him bedridden and suffering from neurological deficits. He has a history of hypertension, heart enlargement, and other serious medical conditions, and cannot move without assistance. Dominado’s continued detention endangers his life. He needs urgent medical intervention that cannot be adequately provided in detention facilities.
His arrest and continuing detention on fabricated charges, along with that of the 97 sick and 103 elderly political prisoners is in contrast to the government’s lenient treatment of powerful and moneyed persons such as Juan Ponce Enrile and Imelda Marcos. Currently, there are 757 political prisoners in the country.
Dominado is the husband of Luisa Posa-Dominado, spokesperson of Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Aresto (SELDA)-Panay, who was waylaid and abducted in April 2007 in Iloilo with another activist, BAYAN-Panay chair Nilo Arado. A third companion, Karapatan-Panay secretary general Jose Ely Garachico, survived a near-fatal wound in the neck. Luisa and Nilo remain missing to this day.
Both Tomas and his wife Luisa were part of the resistance movement against the Marcos dictatorship and arrested and detained multiple times for their activism. Both are part of the 9,539 human rights violations victims during martial law who filed a class suit against Marcos Sr.
As we commemorate International Human Rights Day, KARAPATAN demands the release of all political prisoners, including Dominado and his caregiver, who continue to suffer the injustice of being incarcerated because of their political beliefs and activism.