Former Philippine senator Leila de Lima, who was detained for six years for criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, was cleared of the last of the charges brought against her on Monday.
Ms. de Lima was detained in 2017 on suspicion of accepting bribes from drug traffickers while she was a sitting senator. She was the face of the opposition against a bloody campaign that left thousands dead.
Her detention sends a stark warning to those who dare question Mr Duterte’s war on drugs, which began shortly after taking office in 2016.
Ms. de Lima has always maintained that the accusations were false and an attempt to silence her. She was released on bail in November 2023 after five witnesses recanted their testimony in the case. By then, she had been acquitted on two of the three charges brought against her.
On Monday, a court in Muntinlupa City acquitted her of the last charge. In response to a motion filed by Ms. de Lima arguing that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to convict her, the court ruled that prosecutors could not prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Cheering supporters greeted her as she left the court after the ruling. Many of them were wearing yellow, the color of the Liberal Party she has represented in parliament since 2015.
“Today I am vindicated,” Ms. de Lima said in an interview. “But full vindication and true justice will come only after those who persecute me are held accountable for the wrongs they have done to me and my honor.”
Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde applauded the dismissal of the last charge against Ms. de Lima and called on the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cooperate with the International Criminal Court, which has sought to investigate Mr. Duterte. crime.
“President Marcos should take this opportunity to show the world that he is serious about upholding human rights following the catastrophic human rights abuses and continued lack of accountability that occurred under his predecessor,” he said.
