Philippines: Arbitrary detention of Edel Parducho and Three Odeña

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in the Philippines.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed about the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of Mr Edel Parducho, Human Rights Education Officer at Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), and Ms Three Odeña, a Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) youth activist. PAHRA is a non-profit alliance of individuals, institutions, and organisations committed to the promotion, protection, and realisation of human rights in the Philippines, and is a member of FIDH and of the OMCT SOS-Torture network. SPARK is a national organisation of young student-leaders who fight against all forms of oppression and report on social issues, particularly those concerning the youth and marginalised sectors.

On 25 February 2026, police officers from the Eastern Police District in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, arbitrarily arrested Edel Parducho and Three Odeña during a peaceful protest commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Edel Parducho was acting as a marshal standing between the protesters and the police, and protecting female participants. Several times, the police forcefully pushed the protesters so that they would take up less space on the streets. Edel Parducho was hit multiple times on the back of his head with a shield, and was dragged by the collar of his shirt by the police until he fell to the ground. Once he was on the ground, several officers pinned him down and handcuffed him. Mr Parducho did not resist and remained in a defensive position throughout the incident. Three Odeña was taking photographs when she was pulled by her hair and arrested.

On the same day, the two human rights defenders were charged by the National Capital Region Police Office with “direct assault”, “resistance to authority”, “illegal assembly”, and “physical injury”, allegations that are contradicted by video documentation and eyewitness accounts. As of 15:30 (Manila time) on 27 February 2026, Edel Parducho and Three Odeña were still arbitrarily detained at the Mandaluyong City police station.

The Observatory notes with concern that the arbitrary arrests of Edel Parducho and Three Odeña occur amid a precarious situation for human rights defenders in the Philippines, who remain at risk of arbitrary detention, criminalisation, harassment, attacks, and, in some cases, killing. In addition, the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), which was passed in July 2020, further compounded the precarious situation for human rights defenders by legally institutionalising the practice of “red-tagging” defenders with overly broad and vague definitions of terrorism.

The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Edel Parducho and Three Odeña, which seems to be only aimed at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities.

The Observatory urges the authorities in the Philippines to immediately and unconditionally release Edel Parducho and Three Odeña, drop all unfounded charges against them and put an end to all acts of harassment against them and all human rights defenders in the country.

The Observatory further calls on the authorities in the Philippines to guarantee, in all circumstances, the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, as enshrined in international human rights law, and in particular in Articles 19 and 21 of the Internation Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the Philippines has ratified.