Sen. Leila de Lima. Image from her Twitter account
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Leila de Lima on Friday said that her imprisonment is “proof” that the Duterte administration’s war on drugs also targets “critics and other innocent people.”
De Lima said this in response to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s comment earlier that the senator’s detention is proof that the drug war does not only target the poor.
“Roque is correct. My detention is proof that Duterte’s war on drugs not only targets the poor but also critics and other innocent people,” De Lima said.
“Like his boss, Roque knows I am innocent,” she added.
Roque is correct. My detention is proof that Duterte's war on drugs not only targets the poor, but also critics and other innocent people. Like his boss, Roque knows I am innocent. https://t.co/DJ7Z9pH7An
— Leila de Lima (@AttyLeiladeLima) July 2, 2021
De Lima, an ardent critic of the Duterte administration, has been detained since February 2017 for drug-related charges which she has vehemently denied.
Roque’s statement was a reaction to a query in connection with alleged drug lord Peter Lim’s escape, while drug suspects in the marginalized sector end up dead or jailed.
The detained senator earlier said that Lim’s alleged escape proves the administration’s “two-faced, criminal” war on drugs.
“They were quick to fabricate pieces of evidence against me, while the case against Peter Lim, which is based on substantial proof, was dismissed and he was even allowed to escape. What a shame! What corruption!” De Lima previously said.
The Department of Justice charged Lim for conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading. The government offered a P500,000-reward for his arrest in 2018. — Faith Yuen Wei Ragasa, trainee