Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 12) — Following the acquittal of former Senator Leila de Lima in her second drug case on Friday, rights groups urged authorities to swiftly quash her remaining drug case and process her bail plea expeditiously.
“The partial acquittal of prisoner of conscience and human rights defender Leila de Lima was long overdue. The authorities must not delay her release any longer and allow her to be reunited with her family, friends and supporters after six long years,” Amnesty International’s Montse Ferrer, interim deputy regional director for research, said in a statement.
Despite her acquittal, de Lima cannot be released yet from detention in Camp Crame since she has a pending request to post bail at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256, which is handling her third and last drug case.
The Human Rights Watch called on the judiciary to grant de Lima’s petition to put a temporary end to her six years in police detention.
“Freeing her now is critical so she can return to her family, leaving the injustice of years behind bars in pre-trial detention caused by Duterte’s vengeful cruelty,” it said in a statement.
De Lima’s lawyer, Boni Tacardon, said the application for bail will be resolved by June 5, before the presentation of the prosecution’s evidence.
The detained former legislator said her fight for justice is not yet over, but she remains optimistic she will also be acquitted in the last case.
Amnesty International also called on the Marcos administration to hold accountable the officials responsible for her arbitrary detention.
“She should not have spent a single day in jail, and it is now time to provide adequate reparations for the human rights violations she has suffered,” Ferrer said.
Karapatan, meanwhile, called for the release of all political prisoners who have been persecuted because of their line of work and beliefs on social justice.
