Amnesty International: De Lima arrest meant to silence Duterte critics

An international human rights group condemned on Thursday the looming arrest of Senator Leila de Lima, describing it as a "blatant attempt by the Philippine government to silence criticism" of President Rodrigo Duterte.

De Lima, a vocal critic of the rising death toll in Duterte's drug campaign, was ordered arrested by the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court for one of the three drug trafficking cases filed by the Department of Justice in relation to her alleged involvement in the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison.

Amnesty International believes that once detained, the embattled senator's security will be put at risk, following killings inside police-controlled facilities.

Once detained, she will be considered by the group as a "prisoner of conscience, deprived of liberty solely for her political beliefs and for peacefully defending human rights."

Amnesty International also called on the government not to use its authority to target human rights defenders or critics.

"At a number of times in Philippine history, criminal proceedings against human rights defenders and political figureshave been based on spurious accusations rather than evidence gathered in the course of impartial inquiries by professional investigative authorities," the group said.

"The government has a duty to investigate criminal activity and bring to justice those responsible through an independent and impartial process that conforms to international law and standards," it added.

Last January 31, the AI released a report which tackled the serious human rights violations in the Philippines.

The report, based on interviews with more than 100 people from areas across the Philippines and examination relevant documents including police reports, concluded that the vast majority of killings associated with the anti-drug campaign appear to have been extrajudicial executions. —Anna Felicia S. Bajo/GMA News