For the second consecutive year, Washington-based Foreign Policy magazine hailed detained Senator Leila De Lima as one of the Leading Global Thinkers for 2017 for openly condemning President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs.
“From the beginning, De Lima knew how dangerous her unfettered criticism of her country’s leader might prove,” Foreign Policy associate editor Benjamin Soloway wrote.
“But de Lima has refused to shut up. The government is trying to ‘totally silence dissent and cultivate a culture of double standard of justice, where those allied with the president and his family are accorded impunity,” Soloway added.
In a message read by Foreign Policy Editor-in-chief Jonathan Tepperman, De Lima expressed elation over the latest conferment by the magazine, saying nothing can silence her.
“No high concrete walls, barbed wires or caged environment can silence me. I remain free in spirit, and unbroken. I’m not giving up on my causes for truth, justice and human rights,” De Lima said.
Last year, the American magazine also put De Lima on its list of Leading Global Thinkers for her opposition to the series of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.
The lady senator was honored “for standing up to an extremist leader” as one of the 13 Global Thinkers in the “Challengers” category under the 100 leading global thinkers for 2016.
This year, it added, the magazine recognizes its honorees as Global reThinkers which list individuals from around the world whose actions are ‘disrupting the status quo and impacting countless lives.’
Joining De Lima on the list are South Korea President Moon Jae-in, United Kingdom Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbin, French President Emmanuel Macron, US Senator Kamala Haris, artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei, and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Halley, among others.
Every year, Foreign Policy said it selects people who have made an important impact on fields such as politics, diplomacy, science, and the arts.