Karapatan extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Atty. Rene Saguisag, who died on April 24, 2024 at the age of 84.
The human rights community remembers Atty. Saguisag as a staunch nemesis of dictatorship. He was one of the courageous lawyers who founded the Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism (MABINI) which provided legal services to political prisoners during martial law.
His anti-dictatorship stance extended beyond the court room. A now iconic photograph of leaders of the anti-martial law movement huddled together after a water cannon attack at the Welcome Rotunda in September 1984 shows Atty. Saguisag standing firm and defiant.
He was a true patriot. His name is etched in history as one of a dozen senators, dubbed the “Magnificent 12” who voted to end the US military bases in the Philippines.
He was also an outspoken critic of Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody war on drugs and deplored the terrible human rights violations that attended it.
We will always cherish and remember his legacy as a patriot, progressive lawyer, anti-dictatorship stalwart and champion of human rights.