13-11-2023 (MANILA) In a significant development, imprisoned Philippine human rights champion Leila de Lima has been granted bail, marking a potential step towards freedom after nearly seven years of incarceration. De Lima, known for her vocal criticism of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his controversial anti-drug campaign, was imprisoned on alleged narcotics-related charges that she claims were fabricated to stifle her activism.
Expressing her emotions outside the Manila court, de Lima stated, “This is a moment of triumphant joy and also thanksgiving. I’ve been praying so hard for this day to come. It’s very painful to be jailed despite being innocent.” Surrounded by police officers, she boarded a minibus to return to prison.
De Lima’s lawyer, Filibon Tacardon, revealed that de Lima “cried” upon hearing the court’s decision. “We expected the bail solely because of the merits of the case. We believe that she’s innocent — we all believe that she’s innocent and all these charges are trumped up,” Tacardon stated.
While the specific timeline for her release remains unclear, Human Rights Watch welcomed the bail decision. Deputy Asia director Bryony Lau remarked, “She never should have been unjustly prosecuted and detained by former President Rodrigo Duterte.” Lau accused Duterte’s administration of concocting evidence and abusing state power to punish de Lima for her role as a senator and outspoken critic of the ‘war on drugs.’
De Lima, 64, is accused of accepting money from inmates at the Philippines’ largest prison to facilitate drug sales during her tenure as justice minister from 2010 to 2015. The dismissal of two of the three charges against her came after multiple witnesses, including prison gang leaders, either died or recanted their testimonies.
Human rights groups, foreign diplomats, and politicians have consistently called for de Lima’s release, especially amid concerns about her health during her time in detention. In October 2022, she was briefly taken hostage during an attempted breakout by three detained militants.
Before her arrest in February 2017, de Lima had spent a decade investigating “death squad” killings allegedly orchestrated by Duterte during his tenure as Davao City mayor and the early days of his presidency. Despite her legal challenges, she became one of the few opposition voices after winning a Senate seat in the 2016 elections.
Throughout the legal proceedings, de Lima has maintained that the charges against her were retaliation for her efforts to scrutinize Duterte’s drug war, which has been criticized for its high human toll. Despite losing her bid for re-election in May 2022, de Lima’s potential release represents a turning point in a case that has drawn international attention to human rights concerns in the Philippines.
