Palace: De Lima no prisoner of conscience

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Leila de Lima is no prisoner of conscience, Malacañang maintained yesterday after an international group gave her an award for criticizing the administration’s war on drugs.

London-based Liberal International (LI) conferred the “Prize for Freedom” award on De Lima and praised her for her contributions to the “advancement of human rights.”

LI described De Lima as a prisoner of conscience and one of the first individuals targeted by the Duterte administration, whom it accused of waging a “campaign of violence.”

Malacañang downplayed the award and reiterated that De Lima is in jail on drug charges.

“She is not a prisoner of conscience. There is a case against her before the courts and as a respect to her right to due process, all legal processes are proceeding accordingly,”presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said.

Roque said the LI counts among its members in Asia the Liberal Party, which is De Lima’s political group.

De Lima is the second Filipino to receive the award after the late president Corazon Aquino.