On June 25, 59-year old Susan Medes was arrested, together with members of various local farmers’ organizations in Himamalyan, Negros Occidental for alleged murder and frustrated murder charges. Medes is the chairperson of Bgy. Buenavista-Bito-Cabagal Farmers’ Association (Babicafa).

For Medes and 17 others, the charges stemmed from an encounter between the NPA and the Philippine Army 62nd IBPA on May 12, 2018 in sitio Bunsad, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan in Negros Occidental.

Her husband Rodrigo was also arrested along with six others, including United Church of Christ in the Philippines Pastor Jimmy Teves in June 2019. They are facing trumped-up charges of murder and frustrated murder in connection with an encounter between the military and the NPA in May 2019 in Barangay Tan-awan, Kabankalan City.

Prior to Medes’s arrest, Fausto family (which includes two sons aged 15 and 12) was killed on July 14 also in the village of Buenavista, Himamaylan. Emelda Fausto was also a member of Babicafa. She and the rest of her family reportedly experienced harassment prior to the killing.

“We call on human rights organizations and advocates to strongly support the embattled activists, to actively campaign for the repeal of the terror law, and uphold human and people’s rights against the worsening climate of repression and impunity under the Marcos Jr. regime,” the group said.