De Lima tumanggap ng award for "Standing up to an Extremist Leader."

Ang Foreign Policy, isang American magazine na nagfofocus sa foreign affairs, ay pinarangalan si Sen. Leila De Lima bilang one of its 100 Global Thinkers for 2016 for "standing up to an extremist leader."

Ayon sa nasabing magazine, ang mga taong nasa listahan "demonstrated how private citizens can ease the suffering of others" at "reminders that humanity has the power to hold leaders to account, to defy corrupt regimes, and to provide one another opportunity and solace when states cannot."

Ito naman ang nakapaloob sa citation ng magazine:

“Since taking office in June, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has waged a brutal war on drugs. Thousands of alleged traffickers, dealers, and users have been executed by state forces or pro-government vigilantes,” 

“In response, Sen. Leila de Lima has been a steadfast advocate for the rule of law. As the chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, she spearheaded an investigation into the extrajudicial killings—work that landed her firmly in Duterte’s crosshairs,” 

“President Duterte’s loyalists accused De Lima of being involved in the drug trade and ousted her as head of the investigation in September. That didn’t silence her, though. She called on the United Nations to examine the violence, arguing that Manila isn’t equipped ‘to serve complete justice to the victims,’

“After the criminal accusations, De Lima said, ‘I am willing to resign; I am willing to be shot in front of the president…. I am confident to prove him wrong. I will stand by my innocence, any time now and forever,’

Nagtungo si De Lima sa Estados Unidos upang tanggapin ang nasabing award.

"I am perhaps most well-known today for having invited upon myself the vendetta of the current President, Rodrigo Duterte," pahayag niya noong martes nang tanggapin niya ang award.

"As the most outspoken critic of President Duterte, I am probably the most controversial and the most maligned or demonized public figure in our country today," ani de Lima. "But I shall keep fighting the good fight."