Ava Sancez
Member
- Jan 27, 2017
- 33
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Bangkok: One of the most vocal critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly crackdown on drugs remained defiant after being arrested on Friday, declaring "I am innocent of these trumped up charges."
Senator Leila de Lima, 57, told reporters moments before she was taken to jail that "it is my honour to be imprisoned for the things I am fighting for…please pray for me".
For months Senator de Lima, a former human rights commissioner and justice secretary, has campaigned against the drugs crackdown ordered by Mr Duterte. The campaign has seen more than 7000 Filipinos killed, including children as young as five.
On Tuesday she called Mr Duterte a "sociopathic serial killer" and urged lawmakers to declare him unfit to be president.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, a close ally of Mr Duterte, warned the remarks were seditious.
In August Mr Duterte, who is notoriously foul-mounthed, accused Ms de Lima of running a drug trafficking ring with jailed criminalswhile she was a minister in the previous government.
"I will have to destroy her in public," he said.
Mr Duterte has called Senator de Lima a sex-crazed immoral woman whose election to Parliament opened "the portals of the national government…to narco politics".
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella called the arrest "a major step forward in the administration's drugs war".
Senator de Lima was taken by police convoy from a parliamentary building where she spent the night.
The arrest came days after a former militiaman and a retired police officer accused Mr Duterte of involvement in death squads while mayor of Davao. Arthur Lascanas was the second professed hit man to level such accusations against the President.
Senator de Lima had opened an inquiry into the first allegations when she was human rights commissioner.
Mr Duterte's critics accuse the 71-year-old of orchestrating the charges against the senator to crush her opposition, as well as intimidate anyone else who wants to speak out against him or the crackdown.
Amnesty International said it would regard Senator de Lima as a prisoner of conscience, saying the arrest was a blatant attempt to divert attention away from serious human rights violations committed since Mr Duterte took office in June.
Mr Duterte has maintained high popularity among Filipinos whose country has been ravaged by drugs, but Senator de Lima's arrest will further polarise public opinion.
Influential Catholic bishops denounced the crackdown earlier in February and tens of thousands of anti-Duterte demonstrators have taken to the streets.
The United Nations human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein has called for "credible and independent investigations" into the killings in Davao "as well as into the shocking number of killings that have occurred across the country since Mr Duterte became President".
Chanzo: The Sunday Morning Herald
Senator Leila de Lima, 57, told reporters moments before she was taken to jail that "it is my honour to be imprisoned for the things I am fighting for…please pray for me".
For months Senator de Lima, a former human rights commissioner and justice secretary, has campaigned against the drugs crackdown ordered by Mr Duterte. The campaign has seen more than 7000 Filipinos killed, including children as young as five.
On Tuesday she called Mr Duterte a "sociopathic serial killer" and urged lawmakers to declare him unfit to be president.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, a close ally of Mr Duterte, warned the remarks were seditious.
In August Mr Duterte, who is notoriously foul-mounthed, accused Ms de Lima of running a drug trafficking ring with jailed criminalswhile she was a minister in the previous government.
"I will have to destroy her in public," he said.
Mr Duterte has called Senator de Lima a sex-crazed immoral woman whose election to Parliament opened "the portals of the national government…to narco politics".
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella called the arrest "a major step forward in the administration's drugs war".
Senator de Lima was taken by police convoy from a parliamentary building where she spent the night.
The arrest came days after a former militiaman and a retired police officer accused Mr Duterte of involvement in death squads while mayor of Davao. Arthur Lascanas was the second professed hit man to level such accusations against the President.
Senator de Lima had opened an inquiry into the first allegations when she was human rights commissioner.
Mr Duterte's critics accuse the 71-year-old of orchestrating the charges against the senator to crush her opposition, as well as intimidate anyone else who wants to speak out against him or the crackdown.
Amnesty International said it would regard Senator de Lima as a prisoner of conscience, saying the arrest was a blatant attempt to divert attention away from serious human rights violations committed since Mr Duterte took office in June.
Mr Duterte has maintained high popularity among Filipinos whose country has been ravaged by drugs, but Senator de Lima's arrest will further polarise public opinion.
Influential Catholic bishops denounced the crackdown earlier in February and tens of thousands of anti-Duterte demonstrators have taken to the streets.
The United Nations human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein has called for "credible and independent investigations" into the killings in Davao "as well as into the shocking number of killings that have occurred across the country since Mr Duterte became President".
Chanzo: The Sunday Morning Herald
