•HRES 233 IH 
(4) on August 22, 2016, Senator De Lima con-
ducted Senate hearings during which alleged former 
death squad members detailed extrajudicial killings exe-
cuted as part of the antidrug campaign and one member 
testified that Duterte participated in extrajudicial killings 
as mayor of Davao City; and 
(5) on August 2, 2016, and September 19, 2016, 
Senator De Lima delivered two privileged speeches on the 
Senate floor calling on President Duterte to end the 
killings; 
Whereas President Duterte vowed to publicly destroy Senator 
De Lima; 
Whereas the charges against Senator De Lima were sup-
ported by testimony from inmates whose illegal activities 
were disrupted by her 2014 raid; 
Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Work-
ing Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an Opinion on 
August 24, 2018, finding several categories of arbitrary 
detention and concluding that, ‘‘Ms. De Lima’s political 
views and convictions are clearly at the centre of the 
present case and that the authorities have displayed an 
attitude towards her that can only be characterized as 
targeted and discriminatory. Indeed, she has been the 
target of partisan persecution and there is no explanation 
for this other than her exercise of the right to express 
such views and convictions as a human rights defender.’’; 
Whereas the Department of State’s 2017 Human Rights Re-
port highlighted due process obstructions in the case of 
Senator De Lima, stating, ‘‘During the year prosecutors 
used a variety of legal tactics, including filing new and 
amending previous charges, to delay arraignment.’’; 
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•HRES 233 IH 
Whereas the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary 
Detention recommended that the Government of the Phil-
ippines adopt certain measures, including— 
(1) the immediate release of Senator De Lima; 
(2) an independent investigation of the circumstan-
ces surrounding the arbitrary detention; and 
(3) the provision of compensation and other repara-
tions, including reinstatement to the positions from which 
she was ousted; 
Whereas, on July 20, 2017, the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
Commission of the United States Congress held a hearing 
on The Human Rights Consequences of the War on 
Drugs in the Philippines, during which Human Rights 
Watch testified about the ‘‘relentless government cam-
paign’’ against Senator De Lima ‘‘in evident response to 
her outspoken criticism of Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ and 
her calls for accountability’’; 
Whereas Amnesty International finds Senator De Lima’s de-
tention to be based solely on her criticism of the Govern-
ment, her political beliefs, and her peaceful defense of 
human rights, and considers her a Prisoner of Con-
science; and 
Whereas nongovernmental organizations, human rights 
groups, parliamentary bodies, and individuals have called 
for Senator De Lima’s immediate release, including the 
European Parliament, the Australian Parliament, the 
Inter-Parliamentary 
Union, 
Amnesty 
International, 
Human Rights Watch, Liberal International, ASEAN 
Parliamentarians for Human Rights, and many of Sen-
ator De Lima’s colleagues in the Senate minority bloc: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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•HRES 233 IH 
(1) condemns— 
(A) the Government of the Philippines for 
its role in state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings 
by police and other armed individuals as part of 
the ‘‘War on Drugs’’; 
(B) the arrest and detention of human 
rights defenders and political leaders who exer-
cise their rights to freedom of expression; and 
(C) the continued detention of Senator 
Leila De Lima; 
(2) considers Senator Leila De Lima to be a 
prisoner of conscience, detained solely on account of 
her political views and the legitimate exercise of her 
freedom of expression; 
(3) calls on the Government of the Philippines 
to immediately release Senator De Lima, drop all 
charges against her, remove restrictions on her per-
sonal and work conditions, and allow her to fully dis-
charge her legislative mandate, especially as Chair of 
the Committee on Social Justice; and 
(4) urges the Philippine Government to recog-
nize the importance of human rights defenders and 
their work, and allow them to operate freely without 
fear of reprisal. 
Æ 
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