Overview:
After losing her husband, Johnston “Ton” Etpison, while he was in custody, his widow is turning grief into purpose—calling for stronger prisoners’ rights protections in Palau and offering support to families left searching for answers. Her story is one of loss, healing, and a growing call for accountability and compassion.
KOROR —The widow of Johnston “Ton” Etpison has spoken publicly about her loss, saying her husband’s death while in custody has reshaped her purpose and strengthened her desire to help others in Palau who are grieving loved ones who died behind bars.
She said her focus now is on supporting families who feel forgotten in moments of tragedy and urging leaders to strengthen protections for people held in detention.
“When someone dies in custody, the family is left to carry grief with very few answers,” she said. “I don’t want any other family in Palau to feel alone the way I did. If sharing my story can help someone else through the pain, then that becomes part of my healing too.”
A Loss That Raises Difficult Questions
Johnston Etpison’s death drew renewed attention to conditions inside Koror Jail and the ongoing concerns surrounding prisoner welfare.
Recent human-rights reporting on Palau has noted:
Inadequate jail facilities,
Overcrowding,
Limited oversight, and
Lack of clear standards for detainee safety.
A previous Supreme Court ruling also found that some conditions of solitary confinement in Palau violated constitutional protections, falling below what the Court described as “minimum standards of human decency.”
For Etpison’s widow, these issues are no longer abstract—they are personal.
“When I started digging through old reports, I found that some of these concerns were raised years ago,” she said. “It opened my eyes. Ton’s death is not the first time a family has gone through something like this. It showed me how important it is that we finally address it.”
Grief Becoming Purpose
She said the weeks following her husband’s passing changed her direction in life. She is continuing her studies in social work and hopes to pursue a law degree after completing the lawsuit connected to her husband’s death.
Her goal is to return to Palau and help bring positive change.
“I want Ton to be remembered for more than how he died,” she said. “I want his memory to help build something—something that supports families and pushes our leaders to protect people in custody.”
She said her advocacy is not about compassion.
“Everyone deserves safety and dignity. Families deserve answers and support. Those things should exist no matter what.”
A Call for Prisoners’ Rights in Palau
She hopes to see renewed conversations in the community and the OEK about creating clearer, stronger standards for:
* detainee safety and welfare,
* health and medical response,
* communication with families,
* reporting and investigation processes, and
* oversight of detention conditions.
Her focus, however, is grounded not in policy alone, but in healing.
“This is bigger than laws,” she said. “It’s about people. It’s about giving families support when their world collapses. It’s about making sure what happened to us doesn’t keep happening.”
Keeping His Memory Alive
As she continues her studies and prepares for the future, she carries one message she hopes the community will hear:
“I want Ton’s life to mean something. He always believed in helping people, and now that becomes my work. If his story can bring change or comfort to even one family, then his memory lives on in a meaningful way.”
She said she hopes that by speaking openly about her grief, she can help spark a conversation in Palau rooted in compassion, accountability, and healing. (By: Eustoria Marie Borja)