ATM press statement on the retraction of Kerwin Espinosa
Press Statement | April 28, 2022
The retraction from alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa of his accusations against Senator Leila de Lima exposes the injustice thrown against Sen. Leila de Lima. This proves the unjust and unfounded drug charges against the good senator points to this administration’s sinister motives behind her incarceration.
Espinosa stated that he was “coerced, pressured, intimidated, and seriously threatened” to make his past statements and that “any and all statements given during the Senate hearings, or in the form of sworn written affidavits, against Senator Leila de Lima are not true”.
This means the evidences against Senator de Lima are mere fabrications and that the trumped-up charges against her were made to silence her, as she has been the number one critic of the administration of President Duterte.
As Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, de Lima investigated the Davao Death Squad when President Duterte was still Mayor of Davao. Clearly, the President had an axe to grind against her and her incarceration for the past five years is Duterte’s payback time.
That Espinosa confessed to being coerced implies there might be other witnesses who were forced to make allegations against Sen. de Lima, who, we are convinced, is innocent of the charges filed against her.
We believe Sen. de Lima to be a victim of a murderous and repressive administration that has used the drug war to sow fear among the people. We demand justice for Sen. de Lima. We demand her immediate release from prison, especially in the wake of Espinosa’s retractions.
Free Leila de Lima now!
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