MANILA – Kapatid, a support group of political prisoners, urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the arrest and detention of Charlize Cameron Garzon.

Garzon, 23, is a cultural worker who graduated cum laude from De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde.

In a statement, Kapatid Spokesperson Fides Lim called on the CHR to protect Garzon from further harm and to guarantee access to her family and lawyers.

“Garzon – like all persons deprived of liberty – is entitled to presumption of innocence; access to counsel of her choice; humane treatment; protection from torture, coercion, and secret detention; a fair and impartial investigation; and freedom from public shaming or narrative manipulation by State forces,” Lim said. “Her youth, academic excellence, and idealism should never be weaponized to rationalize custodial violations.”

Garzon was arrested by elements of the 68th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police on March 29. Authorities claimed that she was involved in an armed encounter which the family and human rights groups denied.

Her mother, Mayi Garzon, said in a separate report that they were barred from visiting with the presence of their paralegal. This refusal raised serious concerns about Garzon’s condition and the conduct of authorities.

When she was finally able to speak with her daughter, Mayi said that Garzon recounted being subjected to physical harm and intimidation. “She was hurt by the soldiers who arrested her. They kept saying things to intimidate her,” she said. “What they called an ‘interview’ was actually an interrogation with death threats.”

Read: Family, rights groups slam Mindoro artist-activist’s ‘illegal arrest’

Republic Act No. 7438 allows a detainee to meet with a lawyer and any member of the immediate family.

Kapatid considers Garzon as a political prisoner. “This designation does not prejudge guilt but underscores a political context that requires heightened scrutiny, transparency, and legal protection without delay and without exception,” Lim said.

Bulatlat reached out to the CHR to know if an investigation is underway. CHR has not responded as of this writing.

Gabriela Women’s Party said that immersing among the Mangyan Buhid communities is not a crime. They said that her arrest, together with women development workers Josephine Porquia and Ma. Luisa Guillen in Iloilo City, exposed a pattern of attacks against women activists.

“Their arrest reflects a familiar pattern of arresting, detaining, and vilifying activists while using the law as a weapon against those who serve the people,” the group said in a statement.

Several youth-led organizations and cultural groups also expressed solidarity with Garzon, including Kabataan Party-list, Panday Sining, Concerned Artists of the Philippines, and College Editors Guild of the Philippines.

Torture is prohibited under the Anti-Torture Act and the United Nations Convention Against Torture which the Philippines ratified. Civilians in situations of armed conflict are also protected under the International Humanitarian Law. (RTS, DAA)

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