MANILA (UCAN): On June 24, the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court dropped all remaining criminal charges against human rights advocate, Leila de Lima. This ends years of legal battles for de Lima, who has been one of the most vocal critics of former president, Rodrigo Duterte, and his deadly drug war.
“The prosecution was not able to prove the guilt of all the accused beyond reasonable doubt,” ruled the judge, Gener Gito, citing a lack of evidence, Philippine media reported.
De Lima, a former senator and justice minister, had spent a decade investigating death squad killings allegedly orchestrated by Duterte until she was arrested in 2017 and spent more than six years in prison.
“I am now completely free and vindicated. It’s very liberating,” an emotional de Lima told reporters as she emerged from the courtroom.
“Despite the pain and injustice of it all, I went through it and endured the whole process,” she said.
I am now completely free and vindicated. It’s very liberating
Leila de Lima
De Lima was freed on bail in November last year, having earlier been cleared of the two other drug charges [Sunday Examiner, 19 November 2023].
The court did not immediately release the text of the ruling.
The 64-year-old de Lima vowed that Duterte would not get away scot-free for the drug war killings as well as her imprisonment. This is my message to the former president, Mr Duterte: Now it’s your turn to answer for your sins against the people,” she said.
De Lima was a sitting senator when she was arrested in 2017 and spent more than six years in jail while on trial for three drug trafficking charges.
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She described the cases against her as retaliation for her efforts to investigate Duterte’s drug war, first as head of the government’s independent human rights body, then as justice minister and during her term as a senator.
The prosecution was not able to prove the guilt of all the accused beyond reasonable doubt
Gener Gito
She had maintained that the charges against her were fabricated to silence her from criticising Duterte.
Multiple witnesses, including prison gang bosses, died or recanted their testimonies during the lengthy trials.
The court also dismissed another charge alleging de Lima had persuaded a former employee to ignore a 2016 summons issued by the House of Representatives for a hearing on the alleged trade of illegal drugs in Philippine prisons.
