Injustice Prevails: Leila De Lima's Request for Release Denied Despite Compelling Evidence of Political Motivations

11-06-2023

Claudia Pilli

South-East Asia and Pacific Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence.

De Lima is the most well-known political prisoner in the nation. In fact, she decided to contrast President Rodrigo Duterte for his high-impact war against drugs. Indeed, she pushed many times to find a new way to answer the drug issue in the country, because the one proposed by the President was inhuman.

The former minister of justice of the Philippines, Leila De Lima, was accused in 2017 of accepting cash from convicts inside the biggest jail in the nation in exchange for permitting them to market narcotics. Despite overwhelming evidence that the allegations against Leila De Lima were politically motivated, a Philippine court yesterday denied her request for release.

In conclusion, this does not just raise problems in the freedom of opposition and speech in the Philippines, but it also raises concerns about the use of European funds to raise awareness and development of basic human rights. As a matter of fact, the Philippines continue to benefit from the Generalized Scheme of Preference Plus (GSP+), which spurs countries to have a more sensitive government over human rights by basing tariff reductions on a nation's adherence to international human rights agreements. Considering the current situation, the EU and other nations should take a strong stance and make it plain.

Sources and further readings:

ABS-CBN News, August 2nd , 2016, https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/02/16/de-lima-stop-the-killings-now 

Human Rights Watch, June 8th , 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/08/outspoken-philippine-ex-senator-denied-bail 

Reuters, June 7th 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippine-court-denies-bail-request-top-duterte-critic-drugs-case-2023-06-07/