Philippine Ex-Senator de Lima denied bail
GHRTV
13-06-2023
Alicia Mankel
Southeast Asia and Pacific and Human Rights Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
On 7 June 2023, a Philippine court denied bail to former Senator Leila de Lima, who has been wrongfully held in police detention for more than six years (Conde, 2023). Although de Lima has already been acquitted in two out of three drug cases brought against her, she continues to be arbitrarily detained while awaiting trial (Conde, 2023).
Human Rights Watch sees this as a) part of the larger ‘war on drugs’ campaign that the new President Marco inherited from its predecessor Duterte, despite promises of reform, and b) the Philippines’ dysfunctional and politicised justice system (Conde, 2023). Human rights activists, political dissidents and trade unionists continue to be victims of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance, and torture (Conde, 2023).
Sources and further reading:
Conde, Carlos H. (2023, June 8). Outspoken Philippine Ex-Senator Denied Bail. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 8 June 2023, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/08/outspoken-philippine-ex-senator-denied-bail
