Ampatuan massacre justice aftermath
17 January 2020
Ampatuan massacre justice aftermath with more fear of warlords, corruption
Guilty verdicts for the masterminds of the 2009 Ampatuan massacre at last month's judgment. CNN Philippines screenshot/David Robie.
17 January 2020
For decades, the feared Ampatuan clan held sway in the impoverished province of Maguindanao in Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Through a ruthless private army and a reported “propensity for beheadings”, the clan cultivated a culture of impunity. Now, however, reports David Robie, a courageous judge has challenged the horror by jailing the masterminds of the 2009 Ampatuan massacre for life.
SPECIAL REPORT: By David Robie in Manila
The families of the 58 victims – 32 of them journalists or media workers – had waited for 10 years for justice in the Philippines.
After so long, what is another couple of hours?
The Ampatuan massacre in Maguindanao on 22 November 2009 was the world’s worst single attack on journalists and the worst elections-related violence in a country notorious for electoral mayhem.
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