MANILA – United States Sen. Patrick Leahy has urged the Philippine government to provide Sen. Leila de Lima a fair and public trial with regards to the illegal drug trade charges against her.
In a statement on Sunday, Leahy said that De Lima should be released from detention with the drug charges filed against her “politically motivated.”
Aside from De Lima, Leahy also expressed support for Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, who is facing libel and tax-related charges along with her company.
“I have always stood up for the right of journalists to report the news in the United States and around the world and no one can force me to stop standing up for their rights,” Leahy said.
President Rodrigo Duterte has tasked the Bureau of Immigration to bar Leahy and his colleague Sen. Dick Durbin from entering the country for seeking the ban of Filipino officials behind the arrest of De Lima.
If ever the US pushes through with the ban on Filipino officials over De Lima’s case, Malacañang said Americans planning to visit the Philippines would be required to secure a visa.
A provision in the US 2020 budget on “Prohibition on Entry” allows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to bar foreign government officials from entering the US if he has “credible information” on their involvement in the “wrongful imprisonment” of De Lima./PN
