‘It’s personal’: jailed opponent of Duterte’s drug war has no regrets

Philippine police have arrested more than 80,000 people during President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, but few as prominent or defiant as Leila de Lima.

A Philippine senator and Duterte’s long-time foe, de Lima was arrested in February on drugs charges she says were trumped up as part of a presidential vendetta.

Held at police detention facility in Manila that she shares with murder suspects and mangy cats, the 57-year-old lawyer remains implacably critical of the anti-narcotics campaign and Duterte, who will complete his first year in office this week.

“The promise of eradicating drugs has defined his presidency,” she said. “It’s actually a sham because they are targeting the wrong people.”

Duterte’s drug war, she says, targets only small-time dealers and leaves drug lords untouched.