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Activist Marie Hilao Enriquez, ex-chair of Karapatan, passes away

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Activist and human rights advocate Amaryllis “Marie” Hilao Enriquez died on Sunday, April 24. Courtesy: Karapatan" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/04/25/20220425-activist-marie-hilao-enriquez.jpg"/><figcaption>Activist and human rights advocate Amaryllis “Marie” Hilao Enriquez died on Sunday, April 24. Courtesy: Karapatan</figcaption></figure></div><p><br/>MANILA — Activist Amaryllis “Marie” Hilao Enriquez, founder and chairperson emeritus of “Karapatan,” passed away on Sunday, the progressive human rights group said.</p><p>“We extend our condolences and love to Marie’s family and friends as we mourn with them this loss shared by human rights violations victims, their families and communities,” the group said in a statement Monday.</p><p>Remembering Enriquez, her daughter Andrew said in her Facebook post: “My mother dedicated her life to fighting for justice and human rights. She was a beautiful person, funny, intelligent, brave, and strong. She was loved and will be greatly missed.”</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/karapatan/photos/a.10154387130530153/10165963756865153/" data-width="auto"> </div><p>The cause of death has not been disclosed, as of posting. </p><p>Enriquez was 21 when she first got involved in activism as a scholar taking up occupational therapy at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine, joining the Kamuning chapter of the youth organization Kabataang Makabayan.</p><p>Her sister and fellow activist Liliosa Hilao, then a student journalist, died while under military detention. She was among the first deaths during the Martial Law regime of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/02/23/16/rights-victims-anger-dims-philippine-democracy-celebrations">Rights victims&#x27; anger dims Philippine democracy celebrations</a></li></ul><p>Enriquez herself was later arrested in 1974; she was tortured for 2 years, Karapatan said.</p><p>After she was released from prison, she joined the Kapisanan para sa Pagpapalaya at Amnestiya ng mga Detenidong Pulitikal sa Pilipinas (Kapatid) and campaigned for the release of her husband. </p><p>In 1986, Enriquez joined Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Para sa Amnestiya (SELDA) after the fall of the Marcos regime. She helped file the class action suit against the late dictator while he was in exile in Hawaii. </p><p>She founded Karapatan in 1995, becoming its chairperson in 2009. </p><p>In 2016, she also founded and convened the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA), the same year that former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. launched his failed vice-presidential bid.</p><p>“Marie mentored numerous activists and human rights workers throughout decades. We are deeply indebted to her brilliant, selfless and passionate work as among the foremost human rights defenders in the Philippines. We vow to strive to honor her legacy of service to the Filipino people in every possible way that we can and as long as tyrants and dictators remain in our midst,” Karapatan added.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1779362" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Activist Amaryllis “Marie” Hilao Enriquez, founder and chairperson emeritus of “Karapatan,” passed away on Sunday, the human rights group said.