Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 23) — Members of the European Parliament showed their support for former Sen. Leila de Lima on the eve of her sixth year in detention, while a human rights group reiterated its call for her freedom.
On Thursday, an 18-man delegation composed of members of the European Parliament subcommittee on human rights, political group representatives, and interpreters went to Camp Crame, where De Lima has been detained since Feb. 24, 2017.
According to the Philippine National Police, the visit was endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs through a note verbale sent by the Office of European Affairs.
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The Philippines accepted the request of the European Parliament to visit Manila from Feb. 22 to 24 to hold dialogues with government officials on many issues, including the human rights situation in the country, and exchange views on best practices and legislation.
In a closed-door meeting with senators on Wednesday, European lawmakers questioned the resolution opposing the probe of the International Criminal Court into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs which allegedly resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings.
READ: Talks between PH senators, EU counterparts turn ‘intense’ after mention of ICC probe
De Lima was one of the most vocal critics of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his brutal anti-drug campaign.
Almost a year after Duterte took power, the senator was arrested and detained over drug-related charges.
TIMELINE: De Lima’s five-year struggle in prison
Boni Tacardon, one of her legal counsels, earlier said they would file a supplemental motion for bail this month after key witness Rafael Ragos retracted his testimony against the former senator.
So far, she has been acquitted in one of her three drug cases.
In a statement, rights group Amnesty International said it was a \” travesty\” that De Lima has endured six years in detention after \”bogus charges.\”
\”The numerous retractions of fabricated testimonies and alarming allegations of coercion are further damning evidence of the government’s undeniable role in De Lima’s arbitrary and lengthy detention, which clearly violates her rights to liberty, presumption of innocence and other fair trial guarantees,\” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Southeast Asia researcher for Amnesty International.
Last Feb. 19, the committee on the human rights of parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) — the world’s oldest and largest group of national parliaments — said it was “ever more convinced” that the cases of the detained senator were related to her vocal opposition to the deadly war on drugs.
READ: Inter-Parliamentary Union ‘ever more convinced’ De Lima’s detention politically motivated
Amnesty International urged the Marcos administration to ensure the \”immediate and unconditional\” release of the detained senator, urging the dropping of all charges against her.
