Karapatan today reiterated its call to release political prisoner Miradel Torres. The call for release has become more urgent now. Torres gave birth to a 2.8 kg. baby boy at the Philippine General Hospital yesterday at 6:31 p.m.
Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general said, “Both Miradel and the baby boy do not deserve to be in jail. In the first place, Torres was jailed on trumped up criminal charges. The arrival of the baby gives us more reason to push for the release of Torres.”
Karapatan cited international measures that should be followed in the case of Torres:
Karapatan today reiterated its call to release political prisoner Miradel Torres. The call for release has become more urgent now. Torres gave birth to a 2.8 kg. baby boy at the Philippine General Hospital yesterday at 6:31 p.m.
Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general said, “Both Miradel and the baby boy do not deserve to be in jail. In the first place, Torres was jailed on trumped up criminal charges. The arrival of the baby gives us more reason to push for the release of Torres.”
Karapatan cited international measures that should be followed in the case of Torres:
First, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and sustained breastfeeding for more than two years. Breastfeeding should be done in an environment where both baby and mother are properly fed and cared for, where the mother can also have the health and stamina to nurture her child, free from unnecessary stress and discomfort.
Second, Article 7 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child stipulates that the child has the right to now and be cared for by his or her parents.
“Definitely, Torres’ continued detention violates said international measures. The mother and child should not be separated. But the jail is absolutely not the place for them,” said Palabay.