A US Senate committee has passed a resolution calling for the release of Sen. Leila de Lima and the dropping of charges against Rappler boss Maria Ressa, its proponents said Tuesday.
De Lima, who was arrested on drug charges in February 2017, is "a prisoner of conscience, detained solely on account of her political views and the legitimate exercise of her freedom of expression," claimed US Senate Resolution 142.
Quoting rights observers, it also dubbed the arrest of Ressa for libel and tax-related charges as "part of a pattern of 'weaponizing the rule of law' to repress independent media."
The resolution called on the Philippine government to "drop all charges" against Ressa and De Lima, and allow the senator to "fully discharge her legislative mandate, especially as Chair of the [Philippine Senate] Committee on Social Justice."
It also called on US President Donald Trump to "impose sanctions" against security forces and officials responsible for De Lima's arrest.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the resolution, said 2 of its 5 proponents, US Senators Edward Markey and Richard Durbin, on Twitter.
The move "demonstrates broad support for accountability" in De Lima's case, whose crime is "standing for human rights and good governance in the Philippines," said Markey.
For over 1,000 days now, @SenLeiladeLima has languished in prison. Her crime: standing for human rights and good governance in the Philippines. Today’s passage of my resolution out of @SenateForeign demonstrates broad support for accountability in her case and with others. https://t.co/qi4LrQDdfs— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) December 11, 2019
The resolution was also submitted by US Senators Marco Rubio, Marsha Blackburn, and Chris Coons.
Malacañang earlier told the US lawmakers to "mind their own business -- their country has enough problems and they should focus on them."
"The Republic of the Philippines is not under the dominion of the United States of America or any of its high-ranking officials," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in April.
"The US senators' resort to a reckless and unstudied political exercise only highlights their unfamiliarity with the domestic matters of our country as well as their disrespect to the clamor of the Filipino people for law and order," he added.
The cases against De Lima and Ressa "passed through administrative and judicial processes before their respective warrants of arrest have been issued by courts," said the Palace official.
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This article first appeared on ABS-CBN News.
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