Free Dennise Velasco

At around 2:00 a.m. on 10 December 2020, on International Human Rights Day, police officers of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) - Philippine National Police (PNP) simultaneously raided the houses of Dennise Velasco, a member of Defend Jobs Philippines, and six other activists in Metro Manila. The seven human rights defenders were subsequently arrested on charges of “illegal possession of firearms and explosives”, which police claimed were seized during the raids. Human rights defenders have faced relentless vilification and red-tagging, and have been repeatedly subjected to trumped-up charges and lengthy pre-trial arbitrary detention under the Duterte Administration.

Update: He was released on 8 March 2022, International Women's Day, based on the court decision that his Constitutional rights were violated by the State.