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Philippines human rights campaigner Leila de Lima, who was famously known for questioning former President Rodrigo Duterte's "brutal drug war" was released on bail on Monday, the New York Times reported.
Her release on Monday was ordered by a court in the city of Muntinlupa after five witnesses recanted their testimony in the case. Lima, a former senator who had started multiple investigations into Duterte's war on drugs, was charged on accusations of taking bribes from imprisoned drug traffickers. Though she was never convicted, she has been detained since February 2017 at the police headquarters in Manila. Lima, 64, has long maintained that the charges were "fabricated" and that she was a victim of "political persecution". "Freedom, freedom, freedom -- I'm finally free!" she said in court after hearing the decision. "Unbelievable. I'm free after 2,024 days. I did not deserve to be in jail. It was very painful. I don't want for others to experience this," NYT quoted her as saying in a phone call from the courtroom. Notably, for years, US lawmakers, the European Parliament and international human rights groups have called for the Philippine government to release de Lima. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found in 2018 that her detention was arbitrary, adding that it was "seriously concerned" about remarks that Duterte and his allies had made against her after she called for an investigation into his government-sanctioned drug violence. de Lima has served as the public face of the efforts against Duterte's "brutal campaign", which started soon after he took office in 2016. According to New York Times, a large number of men and boys were gunned down by the police. Although the Philippine National Police has said about 8,000 people have been killed in the violence, however, human rights groups have reported higher numbers. Activists even say a vast majority of those killed were poor Filipinos, some of whom were young boys or had nothing to do with the drug trade The court said she could be released after posting bail of about USD 5,300. de Lima had previously been acquitted of two of the three charges filed against her. Meanwhile, her release is likely to improve the Philippine government's image abroad as President Ferdinand Marcos Junior is aiming to deepen his country's alliance with the US and other Western governments. De Lima's release was celebrated by her colleagues and human rights activists. The decision was "the beginning of the end to this shameful episode in our democracy," Risa Hontiveros, a Philippine senator, said in a statement. "She never should have been unjustly prosecuted and detained by former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose administration concocted evidence and used the machinery of an abusive state to punish her for performing her duties as a senator and speaking out against the war on drugs," said Bryony Lau, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. Lima's first order of business is to return to her hometown, Iriga City, to be with her ailing mother. A staunch Catholic, de Lima said she had "forgiven the witnesses that were used against me because I know they were placed in that position because of me." "But I am not ready to forgive Duterte. I pray to the Lord that He be the one to forgive him for now because I just can't do that," NYT quoted her as saying. (ANI)
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