Lawmakers from the European Union yesterday visited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s most outspoken critic, who has been detained on illegal drugs charges for the past five months.
Soraya Post, head of the 12-member delegation from the European Parliament, said Senator Leila De Lima appeared to be “very good and strong” during the visit at her detention cell in the police headquarters in Manila.
“The delegation’s purpose of the visit is to express our concerns as parliamentarians in Europe about the case of De Lima,” she added.
De Lima has been detained since February on allegations of taking bribes from drug convicts at the national penitentiary to allow them to continue their trade.
She has denied the charges against her and alleged they were trumped up and filed to stop her opposition of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign,
which has left thousands of suspects dead without a trial.
In March, the European Parliament called for De Lima’s release, saying that the charges against her were politically motivated, and asked the government to ensure her safety and fair trial.
De Lima thanked the European lawmakers for the visit, which she said was an indication that “the world is watching closely what is happening in our country under the Duterte regime.”




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