A Philippine court has dropped drugs charges against a prominent critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial 'war on drugs.' The former senator, Leila De Lima, who had been a vocal opponent of Duterte's anti-drug campaign, was acquitted of the final charge on Monday, marking the end of a lengthy legal battle that had seen her held in police custody for over six years.
The charges against De Lima stemmed from allegations made by Duterte that she had received payoffs from convicted drug gangs to finance her 2016 senatorial bid. Throughout Duterte's presidency from 2016 to 2022, more than 6,000 individuals were killed in anti-drug operations, according to police data. Critics, including human rights activists, have raised concerns about the extrajudicial killings that occurred during Duterte's tenure, particularly in impoverished areas of the country.
