The Board of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) today renewed its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Philippines Senator Leila de Lima, expressing their collective solidarity with the Senator on the occasion of her 59th Birthday.
This is the second birthday she will spend in prison and it should be her last. Sen. de Lima has been one of the most outspoken critics of President Duterte’s “war on drugs.” In the months prior to her arrest in February 2017, Sen. De Lima had spearheaded a Senate investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings carried out by the current administration. She has remained in prison for 18 months, awaiting trial for three counts of drug trafficking charges. After more than a year of delays in the proceedings, she was arraigned on two of her charges in July and August.
Sen. De Lima and international rights groups have consistently maintained that the charges are false and politically motivated due to her outspoken criticism of the Duterte administration. During her time in detention, the Supreme Court has denied her request for legislative furlough so she can perform her duties as a Senator.
Throughout her incarceration, public access to Sen. de Lima has been limited. Several foreign delegations have been barred from visiting her in prison. In September 2017, authorities at her detention center denied APHR members access, despite the delegation having followed all proper protocols.
In light of the above concerns, and in failure of her release, we urge the Philippines authorities to allow Sen. de Lima to be able to receive visitors in prison, including foreign guests, on a non-discriminatory basis.
We further urge the Philippines government to end all harassment and politically motivated criminal charges against human rights defenders, journalists and members of the opposition who seek accountability for human rights violations in the context of the “war on drugs.” Sen. De Lima’s continued imprisonment undermines both democracy and the rule of law in the Philippines.
The APHR Board.
