By: Chaela Loren
A local court in Quezon City issued a temporary release on labor union organizer and political prisoner Romina "Shami" Astudillo as she mourns for her late mother's interment at the Manila Memorial Park in Plaridel, Bulacan on Wednesday, November 9.
Political prisoner Romina "Shami" Astudillo attended her mother's burial last November 9 after a QC court given her a temporary release. Photo from Tudla Productions
Phoebe Astudillo, Shami's mother, died of a heart attack on October 30, 2022.
Surrounded by three police officers, the labor organizer delivered a poem she had written while in prison for her mother as part of her short eulogy.
"Ma, pasensya ka na sa nangyari sa akin, alam mong inosente ako sa lahat ng bintang nila sa akin. Kung hinintay mo ako ng siyam na buwan sa aking pagdating, sana mahintay mo rin ako sa aking pag-uwi," she said.
[Ma, I'm sorry for what happened to me. You know I am innocent of all the accusations they have made against me. If you waited nine months for me to come, I hope you can wait for me when I come home.]
Romina Astudillo, Mark Ryan Cruz, Jaymie Gregorio, Dennise Velasco, Rodrigo Esparago, Joel Demate, and Lady Ann Salem were the seven activists arrested during the International Human Rights Day that the police raided on December 10, 2020. They were dubbed as the "Human Rights Day 7".
Meanwhile, Velasco, Salem, and Esparago have been released after the Quezon City court dismissed the cases of illegal possession of firearms and explosives filed against them due to the lack of probable cause for the issuance of search warrants, while the others remained imprisoned.
Tags: Human Rights 7, Romina Astudillo, International Human Rights Day 2020, Quezon City court
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