LEILA DE LIMA'S RELEASE

Editorial and Opinion • May 19, 2023

Written by Faye Navarro

On February 23, 2023, Leila de Lima, a former senator from the Philippines, will spend six years in arbitrary detention. Amnesty International has demanded that the Philippine government dismiss the false accusations against her and guarantee her immediate and unrestricted release.

De Lima was imprisoned at the Philippine National Police headquarters after being arrested on drug-related accusations on February 24, 2017. She is a human rights activist who has been outspoken in her criticism of the former president Rodrigo Duterte's administration's abuses of human rights. She aimed to look into alleged wrongdoings associated with the government's "war on drugs," such as extrajudicial killings of alleged drug offenders, which Amnesty International has labeled as potentially crimes against humanity.

Numerous important witnesses have recanted their statements against de Lima, claiming that they were coerced and threatened into making false accusations by former government officials. The accusations against de Lima have drawn heavy criticism for being falsified. Former acting Bureau of Corrections chief Rafael Ragos claimed that former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and other top officials coerced him into making up stories.

Due to the failure of prosecution witnesses and changes in judges, De Lima's court procedures have been delayed for six years. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled in 2018 that her detention was arbitrary, without a legal basis, and violated her right to a fair trial.

On October 9, 2022, a knife-wielding inmate seeking to escape held De Lima hostage in her detention cell. The suspect and his two companions were killed when the cops interfered. There has been no additional inquiry into the incident, particularly the security flaws that allowed the suspect to access de Lima's holding cell.

Amnesty International and other organizations have urged for De Lima's release, emphasizing her rights to liberty, the assumption of innocence, and the right to a fair trial. They have requested the Philippine government to withdraw all accusations against her, launch an inquiry into the attacks on her, and hold those responsible for the abuses committed since her incarceration accountable.

The arbitrary detention of Leila de Lima is part of a trend in the Philippines of rising impunity for human rights crimes, including deaths, threats, and harassment of political activists, human rights defenders, members of the media, and other targeted groups. During the Marcos administration, similar cases were reported, such as the murder of journalist Percy Lapid in October 2022 and the murder of two activists in Negros province in November 2022.