Police bar Liberal International president from visiting de Lima

Liberal International president Juli Minoves was barred yesterday from visiting detained Senator Leila de Lima at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame. De Lima's media relations officer Ferdie Maglalang confirmed this to GMA News Online.

But, Markus Loening, chair of LI's Human Rights Committee and Friedrich Naumann Foundation-Philippines president Wolfgang Heinze were allowed to visit de Lima.

"We notified on Monday, so that is more than five days in advance than my coming here. I came especially for a meeting with Senator de Lima. Together with the Human Rights advisor (Markus Loening), president of our committee in our organization," Minoves told reporters in an ambush interview.

Minoves who was compelled to wait outside the custodial center said authorities used an "administrative excuse" in preventing his visit to de Lima, saying that they could not find the memo requesting for an official visit.

"They have used an administrative excuse that they cannot find the letter. General Philips [Chief Superintendent Philip Phillips], in fact, is hiding the fact that I am here and is trying to prevent me from entering and meeting Senator de Lima. This doesn't happen normally in democracy, this only happens in regimes that are not democratic," he said.

He firmly protested the refusal for him to meet de Lima, noting that such act shows how the government is supposedly detaining de Lima without the presumption of innocence.

"I firmly protest. I think this shows exactly what the regime is doing which is basically detaining Senator de Lima without the presumption of innocence and preventing international people from visiting her is basically threatening any body, the fact that they even need five days to decide arbitrarily whether people come and visit her is something that goes against any ruling in international law," Minoves said.

Asked on his purpose on visiting de Lima, Minoves, who is a former Andorran Permanent representative to the Headquarters of the United Nations, said that he just wanted to check the condition and situation of de Lima.

"My purpose is just to inquire about her detention and knowing politically how things are doing in the Philippines. Having a contact, the Liberal Party of the Philippines is a full member of Liberal International. We are an international organization of over 100 political parties. We are observers of the United Nations," he said.

He added that they have raised the issue on de Lima's detention to the United Nations.