SENATOR Leila de Lima has welcomed the plan of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to visit her at her detention cell and examine the drug-trafficking charges that the Duterte administration has filed against her.
In her reaction to the resolution adopted at the 136th IPU Assembly on April 5, De Lima said the planned visit of the members of the IPU Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians would provide an unbiased view of her case.
“The IPU’s resolution to send a fact-finding mission to the Philippines in order to get a clearer view of my case is indeed a welcome development,” De Lima said.
“The Senate President has likewise welcomed this, and I hope that this will happen at the soonest time.
“I trust that the IPU will be able to render an objective and fair assessment not only on my case but also, most importantly, on the human rights violations committed under the government’s murderous war on drugs.”
The IPU has expressed deep concern over De Lima’s arrest and detention in Camp Crame.
The group says it does not make sense that the Philippine government charged De Lima with illegal drug trafficking when, as Justice secretary, she took a lead role in stopping the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
The group says De Lima has been very vocal in criticizing the Philippine government’s war on drugs, which has resulted in the unprecedented rise of summary killings in the country.
De Lima, who initiated a Senate probe into the spate of summary killings in the government’s all-out war on drugs, says the IPU’s resolution strengthens her arguments that her case is a clear example of political persecution.
“I thank the IPU for its concern through its resolution,” De Lima said.
“I am hoping that the Philippine government will allow their unhampered visit so that they can observe and assess the real human rights situation in the country.”
The IPU Resolution adds to the growing number of multilateral organizations and human rights advocates who have expressed concern over De Lima’s arrest and detention.