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Philippines Police Arrest Senator Critical of Bloody Drug War

HeadlineFeb 24, 2017

In the Philippines, police arrested an opposition senator and fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte today, accusing her of taking bribes from drug dealers. Senator Leila de Lima says she’s innocent of any crime, and called her arrest retribution for her criticism of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, which has seen police carry out thousands of extrajudicial killings.

Senator Leila de Lima: “The truth will be out in the right time. If they think they can silence me, if they think I can no longer fight for what I’m fighting for, especially finding the truth behind the daily killings, the other issues, the pressures and tyranny under Duterte’s regime, then it is my honor to get arrested because of what I’m fighting for.”

President Duterte has boasted about personally murdering drug dealers. Last September, he compared himself favorably to Adolf Hitler, saying he wanted to kill millions of drug addicts.

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