Jailed Philippine human rights activist Leila de Lima was denied bail Wednesday on the remaining drug trafficking charge filed against her during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, her lawyer said.
De Lima, one of the most outspoken local critics of Duterte and his deadly drug war, has been detained for more than six years on charges she insists were fabricated to silence her.
“Sad to inform you that the Court denied Sen. Leila’s bail application,” her lawyer Filibon Tacardon said in a message to journalists, adding he was “in shock” at the decision.
The ruling followed another court’s verdict on May 12 that acquitted the former senator and justice minister of a separate drug trafficking charge.
The 63-year-old is accused of taking money from inmates inside the country’s largest prison in exchange for allowing them to sell drugs while justice minister from 2010 to 2015 under then-leader Benigno Aquino.
She initially faced three charges. Two have been dismissed as the prosecution’s case falls apart, with multiple witnesses dying or recanting their testimonies.
De Lima, a mother of two, faces life in prison if she is convicted on the remaining charge. In denying the bail application, Judge Romeo Buenaventura said the evidence against de Lima and her co-accused was “strong”.
Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde said the decision “flies in the face of her previous court acquittal in two cases, which clearly showed the political nature of her persecution”.
Before her arrest on February 24, 2017, de Lima had spent a decade investigating “death squad” killings allegedly orchestrated by Duterte during his time as Davao City mayor and in the early days of his presidency.
The Gabriela Women’s Party meanwhile expressed dismay over the denial of the bail petition of de Lima.
“De Lima has been a vocal critic of President Duterte’s drug war. The government cannot deny that these charges are politically motivated and that her investigations into the extrajudicial killings are the reason why she was charged with trumped-up cases,” Rep. Arlene Brosas, nominee of Gabriela in the House of Representatives, said.
“We strongly condemn the continued persecution of critics and opposition leaders who dare to stand up against the government’s anti-poor policies,” Brosas added.
Despite this latest development, Brosas said Gabriela continues “to stand in solidarity with Senator De Lima and demand that the trumped-up charges against her be dropped and that she be afforded due process.”