Philippines: land rights activist arrested by SWAT team who planted a gun in his house
Event- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 23, 2018
- Event Description
ROGER GONZALES, farmer and council member of the Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Agusan del Sur-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (NAMASUR-KMP) was arrested by about 30 combined SWAT and Provincial Public Safety Battalion (PPSB) personnel at around 4 o'clock in the morning of February 23, 2018 in his home in Purok 9, Del Monte, Talacogon, Agusan del Sur. The arresting officers claimed that he was in possession of a caliber .357 gun. Prior to his arrest, at around 3 o'clock in the morning of the same day, Gonzales and his family were awakened when 10 combined SWAT and PPSB officers arrived and entered their home. Without showing a search warrant, the team began searching the house. A 10 year old child, witnessed one of the officers put a gun in the kitchen before the 10 officers left. When the 30 SWAT and PPSB officers came back at around 4 o'clock in the morning they showed a search warrant and immediately went to where the gun was planted. They then arrested Gonzales and brought him to the Talacogon Police Station.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Judicial Harassment
- Raid
- Rights Concerned
- Land rights
- HRD
- Land rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 12.879721000000004
Longitude: 121.774017
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 23 Feburary 2018, Roger Gonzales, farmer and council member of the Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Agusan del Sur-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (NAMASUR-KMP) was arrested by about 30 combined SWAT and Provincial Public Safety Battalion (PPSB) personnel in his home for allegedly owning a gun, which the SWAT team had planted in his home earlier that day.