Political detainee’s pregnancy threatened by military maltreatment
High Risk

Pregnancy is always difficult for any woman. More so if one is confined in a cramped prison cell with seven other detainees. Zenaida Llesis, six months pregnant, is a political detainee at the Bukidnon Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Malaybalay City. She has endured both the difficulties of pregnancy and detention since her arrest on Aug. 5.

By Esmeralda dela Paz
Contributed to Bulatlat.com

The military accused Llesis of being a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) and involved in the killing of a certain Victor Daquiadao. At the time of her arrest, she was 11 weeks pregnant.

The first trimester is always the most delicate period in a pregnancy especially for 40-year olds like Llesis. She was in fact suffering from vaginal bleeding and resting to avoid a miscarriage at her friend’s house in Pangantucan, Bukidnon when arrested.

Threatened abortion

Reports by human rights groups reveled that two truckloads of military men under the 8^th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army surrounded the house and arrested Llesis without informing her of the charges against her.

Despite her delicate situation, the military brought Llesis to the 8^th IB camp in Maramag, Bukidnon where they continuously interrogated her until the following morning. The physical and mental stress apparently aggravated her condition and worsened the bleeding.

The next day, the military took her to Camp Edelberto Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City and once again rigorously interrogated her without the presence of a legal counsel. She was reportedly placed under solitary confinement for three days, after which she was presented to the media. The stress took a toll on Llesis’ physical and emotional health. Her nausea and bleeding worsened. Her request to see a doctor or be brought to a hospital was denied.

On Sept. 5, when she complained of stomach and pelvic pains, the military finally took her to a hospital. Doctors diagnosed her as having premature contractions and suffering from threatened abortion.

A humanitarian mission team headed by Karapatan-Misamis Oriental visited Llesis and reported that the military confined Llesis to the camp for eight days before taking her to a doctor. In fact, she was brought to a hospital only 10 minutes before the mission arrived. She however continues to be denied her right to counsel and visits by her relatives are strictly monitored.

Vulnerable

Emmi de Jesus, deputy secretary general of the alliance Gabriela, noted, “Women are more vulnerable to the effects of political repression.” She said pregnant women like Llesis are “vulnerable to physical and emotional stress, as a consequence of their detention and being deprived of her rights.”

Gabriela plans to campaign for women political detainees like Llesis and will hold a picket in front of the Department of Justice on Oct. 24.  It plans to commemorate Oct. 28, National Women’s Day of Protest, with a march-rally against political repression. 

De Jesus recalled it was on this day in 1983 that thousands of women marched to protest the political repression of the Marcos dictatorship.

“This year we will again march to prevent a repeat of this dark era of our society,” de Jesus said. Bulatlat.com

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