MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine court has issued an arrest
warrant on drug charges for a senator and former top human rights
official who is one of the most vocal critics of President Rodrigo
Duterte and his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs.
The Regional
Trial Court issued the warrant Thursday for the arrest of Sen. Leila de
Lima and other officials who have been charged by Department of Justice
prosecutors with receiving bribes from detained drug lords.
De
Lima has vehemently denied the charges, which she says are part of
Duterte's attempt to intimidate critics of his crackdown, which has left
more than 7,000 drug suspects dead.
It was not immediately clear when de Lima would be arrested or how her followers would react.
