US Senate OKs resolution vs De Lima jailers

MANILA, Philippines — The United States Senate has approved a resolution seeking sanctions against Philippine officials involved in the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima and in extrajudicial killings in the conduct of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Senate Resolution 142, authored by Sen. Edward Markey (Massachusetts), calls on US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions against concerned Philippine officials pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

The resolution, passed yesterday, calls on the Philippine government to drop all charges against De Lima, remove restrictions on her personal and work conditions and allow her to fully discharge her legislative mandate, especially as chair of the Senate committee on social justice.

It also calls on the US president to ensure that US security assistance provided to the Philippine National Police (PNP) is fully consistent with the human rights conditions mandated in section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

The government was also urged to recognize the importance of human rights defenders and their work and allow them to operate freely without fear of reprisal.

The government, the resolution stated, should guarantee freedom of the press and drop all charges against Rappler and its CEO Maria Ressa.

The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act allows the US government to impose sanctions on foreign government officials implicated in human rights abuses in any part of the world.

These actions target serious human rights abuse and corruption on a global scale, and guarantee tangible and significant consequences for those who undermine the rule of law, disregard internationally accepted human rights standards and threaten the stability of international political and economic systems.

The Philippines has called on the US to respect the Philippines’ domestic laws and processes after Trump signed the 2020 budget with a provision banning officials involved in the “wrongful” detention of De Lima from entering the US.

President Duterte ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to prevent US Sens. Patrick Leahy and Richard Durbin, as well as Markey, from entering the country. The two senators led the filing of a provision in the US budget calling for the release of De Lima and banning the entry to the US of Philippine officials linked to her arrest and detention.