Masterminds of Philippines’ worst massacre jailed

MANILA: The masterminds of the Philippines’ worst political massacre were found guilty on Thursday of murder a decade after they led the killings of 58 people, rare convictions of powerful figures in a country notorious for its culture of impunity.

However with dozens of other accused gunmen acquitted, and 80 suspects never having been caught, relatives of the victims as well as rights groups gave a mixed response to the verdicts.

Leaders of the powerful Ampatuan family dynasty orchestrated the November 23, 2009, killings in a remote part of the conflict-plagued south of the Philippines in a bid to quash an election challenge from a rival clan.

Thirty-two journalists, travelling in a convoy to report on the filing of an Ampatuan rival’s election candidacy, were among those murdered, making the killings one of the worst ever globally of media workers.

A Manila court on Thursday found 43 people guilty as principals or accessories to 57 of the murders.

They were found not guilty of the 58th murder because the body of the final victim was never recovered.

Andal Ampatuan Jnr, who had been planning to succeed his namesake father by running for governor of Maguindanao province, was among those found guilty of murder.

As principal suspects, Ampatuan Jnr and 27 others — including seven of his relatives — were each sentenced to at least 30 years in jail without parole.

“Their acts were deliberate and obviously in pursuance of their plan to kill,” the court ruling read.

Fourteen members of the local police and a member of the Ampatuan family’s armed militia force were sentenced to between eight and 10 years in prison as accessories.

However two clan leaders and more than 50 other police officers and alleged members of the Ampatuan militia were acquitted.

The cases against them had not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, according to the court ruling.

Eighty suspects also remain at large.

“This makes us sad and happy at the same time, because (only) some of the major suspects were convicted,” Esmael Mangudadatu, the Ampatuans’ rival, told reporters outside the courtroom. — AFP