Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima (born August 27, 1959) is a Filipino lawyer, human rights activist, politician, and law professor currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines since 2016.
She was appointed by president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights in May 2008 and she served in the commission until June 30, 2010, when she was appointed by President Benigno S.
Aquino III as the Philippines' Secretary of Justice.
She resigned as justice secretary on October 12, 2015, to focus on her candidacy for a seat in the Senate of the Philippines in the 2016 Philippine general election.
She won one of the twelve contested seats and currently serves as a Philippine senator in the Philippines' 18th Congress.
She is a known critic of the Philippine Drug War of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
In February 2017, days after garnering international awards for her campaign against extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, she was arrested and charged for being linked to the drug trade during her stint as justice secretary.
Her arrest was non-bailable.
The evidence against her consists of the testimony of prison inmates, police officers and former prison officials.
The Department of Justice is considering the prison inmates' applications for pardon or clemency following their testimony.
In October 2017, the prestigious Prize for Freedom was awarded to her for her stand against a regime accused of being dictatorial.
She was designated as a 'prisoner of conscience' by numerous international human rights organizations.
In May 2018, Amnesty International conferred to de Lima the first ever “Most Distinguished Human Rights Defender” award during the Ignite Awards for Human Rights.
De Lima is represented pro bono by Irwin Cotler and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.