De Lima welcomes global campaign to free political prisoners

Amid the growing trend of jailing government critics in many parts of the world, Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has welcomed Liberal International's (LI) campaign calling for the freedom of imprisoned liberals and democrats, including herself.

In her message to the 62nd Congress of Liberal International in Dakar, Senegal, De Lima underscored the need to pressure national and inter-governmental authorities to help end intimidation and persecution of leaders who fight for worthy causes.

"This will reinforce the will and determination of other campaigners even as it will exert a much-needed pressure on national and inter-governmental authorities and decision makers to resolve not just the specific cases of the political prisoners, but to contribute in alleviating the socio-political situation in such severely strained countries, like the Philippines," she said.

De Lima's message entitled "Let's Keep the Optimism and Work in Solidarity!" was delivered by her brother, Vicente "Vicboy" de Lima II, during an online teleconference before LI delegates last Nov. 30.

Aside from De Lima, LI is also calling for the release of Kem Sokha of Cambodia and the Raif Badawi of Saudi Arabia, among others.

In her message, the Senator from Bicol reiterated her call for the establishment and maintenance of a solid network of human rights defenders and pro-democracy champions to turn the tide of autocracy and populism.

"Some pundits claim that democracy is dying all over the world, and that what we are witnessing is the end of human rights. They attribute it to the recent rise of populist and authoritarian leaders like Duterte, on the one hand, while there seems to be an absence of leadership and political will to confront them, on the other end," she said.

"The former may be true, but the latter definitely is not. We continue to fight. Our hearts and minds will always bear the courage and determination to defend our freedom and the world's democracies," she added.

In the Philippines, De Lima noted that the country is once again under the grip of despotic rule under the populist strongman, Mr. Duterte, 32 years after the fall of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

As the first prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime, De Lima earned Duterte's ire when she introduced a Senate resolution calling for an investigation into the spate of extrajudicial killings in the government's brutal war on drugs.

Prior to this, De Lima also exposed Duterte's involvement in the vigilante group known as the "Davao Death Squad" during her term as chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights.

"What is clear is that my arrest and continuing incarceration have been preceded and accompanied by a vicious and unparalleled campaign of personal vilification, character-assassination, and slut-shaming from no less than the Philippine president and his allies," she said.

"There is no doubt that the personal attacks, political persecution and unjust detention that I have been suffering are inextricably connected to my vigorous and unrelenting criticism of Duterte's so-called war on drugs and other anti-human rights policies," she added.

Despite her continued unjust detention, De Lima continues to reap awards and citations here and abroad recognizing her outstanding fight for justice and human rights no matter the cost. She was conferred by the LI as this year's Prize for Freedom awardee.