LEILA DE LIMA SHOULD BE FREED

On the eve of the promulgation of the second trumped up case against Sen. Leila de Lima in Muntinlupa RTC No. 204, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan is once again calling for the dismissal of the case and Sen. de Lima’s immediate release from jail.

Sen. de Lima’s six-year incarceration based on bogus, fabricated drug charges ranks as an injustice of the most cruel kind. She has been stripped of her rights, denied her role as an elected senator, persecuted and shamed in the most vile manner by the highest officials of the land. Her continuing detention is a testimony to country’s rotten justice system.

That De Lima remains detained despite all major prosecution witnesses recanting their statements makes the Marcos administration equally liable for violating her rights and perpetuating such a grave injustice. Her arrest and detention was out of pure spite by former presidents Duterte and Arroyo, who are the godparents of the current Marcos-Duterte regime.

Sen. de Lima is just one of many victims of trumped up and politically-motivated cases in the country. Hundreds more like her are languishing in jail for daring to criticize and fight the abuses and wrongdoings of those in power. We likewise call for the release of other political prisoners, especially those who are ill and aging. Like Sen. de Lima, they too deserve to be free.#