A Philippine court has granted bail to Leila de Lima, a former senator and vocal critic of the country’s controversial “war on drugs.” De Lima, who has been in prison for nearly seven years, has consistently denied the charges against him.
The 64-year-old was charged with several crimes in 2017, just months after she launched a Senate investigation into the brutal anti-narcotics campaign led by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. This campaign saw thousands of drug users and dealers killed by the police or under suspicious circumstances.
Upon hearing the news of his bail, De Lima expressed his relief, stating, “Finally, I will be released. For years, my whole being has been crying out for justice and freedom.”
The former senator was accused by Duterte, whose term ends in 2022, of collusion with drug gangs during her tenure as justice minister. This led to charges of conspiracy to traffic in narcotics. However, two out of three cases against De Lima have been dismissed, and she asked for bail in the remaining case on health grounds, which the court granted.
De Lima has maintained that the charges against her are baseless and politically motivated. His lawyer, Filibon Tacardon, confirmed that De Lima could be released from prison later on Monday.
Rights groups have accused Duterte of encouraging deadly violence, alleging that police killed unarmed drug suspects and staged large-scale crime scenes during the crackdown on drugs. The police have consistently denied these allegations, while Duterte has maintained that the police were only ordered to kill in self-defense.
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