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Arrested activist and advocate for the urban poor Queen Mae Nasino at the burial of her 3-month-old daughter, River, at Manila North Cemetery in Manila on October 16, 2020 (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines – Lawyers for detained activist Reina Mae Nasino on Monday presented a supplementary demonstration before the court handling her case about the “cruel and inhumane” she received from law enforcement during the wake and burial of her daughter de three months. River.
The demonstration was filed in Section 47 of the Manila Regional Court of First Instance in Manila by members of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, namely Edre Olalia, Ephraim Cortez, Julian Oliva Jr., Josalee Deinla, Katherine Panguban and Maria Sol Taule.
Lawyers said the burial of River, who died of a respiratory illness, was carried out with interference from the Bureau of Prison Administration and Penology (BJMP) and the Philippine National Police (PN).
Last Friday, when River was scheduled to be buried in Manila’s North Cemetery, things took an unexpected turn when several police officers showed up to guard the funeral home.
Then, during the funeral march, officers allegedly waved the hearse driver to move faster, which ended with the hearse leaving the mourners behind.
“Instead of simply providing the defendant ‘escort’ during her excessively short leave, some 43 jail officers and police abducted and commanded the event and denied the defendant and her family their one and only chance to leave the girl peacefully and solemnly. their final resting place, ”the seven-page demonstration read.
“Against the wishes of the family, these armed policemen barred supporters from entering the funeral home. They also prohibited members of progressive organizations from carrying legal and legitimate banners calling for justice and threatened to confiscate them, ”the demonstration added.
The lawyers also mentioned that Nasino’s mother, River’s grandmother, tried to plead with the police officers in the area by kneeling while asking them to allow them to cry.
The case of Nasino, who was arrested in a police operation in November 2019 for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives, has become controversial due to the problems that surround him.
When Nasino was captured, she did not know that she was already a month pregnant.
She finally gave birth to River last July while she was being held in the Manila city jail.
Nasino asked through her lawyers to temporarily release her to protect her and her newborn baby from the possibility of contracting COVID-19 in jail, but only River was allowed out.
Nasino then asked that River be allowed to stay with her, but the court did not yield.
On October 10, after showing symptoms of coronavirus, River died while inside the intensive care unit of the General Hospital of the Philippines.
But the problems didn’t stop there: what was originally a three-day license was reduced to just several hours over a three-day span, something that human rights groups disapproved of.
Nasino’s lawyers believe that both the BJMP and PNP would deny their allegations, but pointed out that the evidence they presented (footage taken by the media during the debacle) would prove otherwise.
“The BJMP and PNP may deny or attempt to excuse the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of the accused during her leave, but in due course, she will see to it that such injustices are not forgotten and go unpunished,” they said. additional.
READ: CHR investigates Nasino’s case, ‘deeply concerned’ about how government is handling it
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