LP slams gov’t move to bar foreign politician from visiting De Lima

Juli Minoves (left), president of the Liberal International, and Markus Löning, LI human rights chair, talk with reporters outside the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame on Saturday, July 22, 2017. Minoves was prevented by the Philippine National Police from seeing detained Senator Leila de Lima. (Photo from the Office of Sen. Leila de Lima)

MANILA — The Liberal Party slammed the Duterte adminstration on Sunday  for blocking the head of an international group of political parties from visiting its party mate, detained Sen. Leila de Lima, last Saturday.

In a statement, the LP scoffed at the Philippine National Police’s explanation that it had lost a letter of request sent by Liberal International president Juli Minoves to visit De Lima at the PNP custodial center in Camp Crame in Quezon.

The party said Minoves’ letter was sent last July 17 in keeping with the protocols set by the police custodial center.

It said Minoves, a former foreign minister of Andorra and ambassador to the United Nations, flew to the country from London last Saturday only to meet De Lima. He left on Saturday afternoon.

On Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella’s statement not to put political color on the police refusal to let Minoves to see De Lima, the LP then asked: “Is it incompetence then? Is incompetence being used as an excuse for the government’s refusal to have him visit the senator and see for himself her condition and how she is treated?”

The party said Minoves was not allowed to visit De Lima because of “his presentation before the UN where he cited the Senator’s detention and condemned the continuing violation of fundamental human rights and the rule of law in the Philippines.”

“We believe this is the real reason too,” the LP said.  SFM/rga