A visiting United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur has been inspired by former senator Leila de Lima's courage to defend human rights.
Irene Khan, UN rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, shared about her meeting with De Lima, who had been jailed for around six years due to drug accusations her supporters saw as politically-motivated, as part of her itinerary in the country.
"Greatly honored to meet @AttyLeiladeLima whose indomitable courage as a #HumanRights defender has been truly inspiring," Khan said in her post on X.
Khan and de Lima met on Jan. 30 to talk about press freedom under the Duterte administration—the time the former senator had been behind bars.
De Lima said she "had a very engaging and insightful meeting" as she also shared her "difficult journey amid relentless persecution by the Duterte regime."
"Honored and grateful, Madame Khan, for your unbending support for our shared causes in fighting disinformation, protecting free speech, and upholding justice and human rights," De Lima said.
Khan arrived in Manila on Jan. 22 for a series of activities that would run until Feb. 2.
In her trip, she went around Metro Manila, Baguio and Cebu to explore legal and policy frameworks related to the safety of journalists and their sources, freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age in the country.
She also learned about the status of media freedom, access to information, disinformation, hate speech, and the expression of marginalized individuals, including indigenous peoples, in the Philippines.