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'Free Leila Now! De Lima arrives in Muntinlupa RTC, supporters clamor for her release

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ABS-CBN News

Detained former Sen. Leila de Lima has arrived at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 Monday for a hearing on the last of three drug cases filed against her during the Duterte administration.Video taken by ABS-CBN News showed De Lima being prayed for briefly by a priest as she emerged from a police van. She was then escorted by police officers into the court. Supporters of the former senator have also gathered outside the court, shouting slogans of &quot;Free Leila Now!&quot; De Lima had earlier been cleared of 2 other drug cases, which she said were forms of political persecution.Before her arrest in 2017, De Lima had spent a decade investigating &quot;death squad&quot; killings allegedly orchestrated by Rodrigo Duterte during his time as Davao City mayor and in the early days of his 2016-2022 presidency.She conducted the probes first while serving as the nation&#x27;s human rights commissioner, then as justice secretary in the Aquino administration.De Lima won a Senate seat in 2016, becoming one of the body&#x27;s few opposition voices after Duterte&#x27;s landslide victory. Duterte then accused her of running a drug trafficking ring.Campaigning from behind bars, De Lima made a failed bid for re-election to the Senate last year.

Detained former Sen. Leila de Lima has arrived at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 for a hearing on the last of three drug cases filed against her during the Duterte administration.