Maguindanao massacre: members of Ampatuan clan found guilty of 2009 Philippine killings, jailed for 40 years
- Ampatuan political dynasty sought to quash an election challenge by rounding up rivals and journalists, killing them and dumping bodies in pits
- The case involved over 100 detained suspects. More than 50 accused were acquitted because of lack of evidence, including dozens of police officers
The masterminds of the Philippines’ worst political massacre have been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison – or 40 years without parole – for killings that shocked the world and highlighted the country’s brutal culture of impunity.
Andal Ampatuan Jnr and four other members of a powerful political dynasty in the southern province of Maguindanao were found guilty on Thursday of killing 57 people on November 23, 2009, to head off an electoral challenge by a rival, Esmael Mangudadatu. Gunmen dumped the bodies in hastily dug pits; the police said 58 people were killed, but the body of the 58th victim was never found.
There were 32 journalists among the victims, making the slaughter one of the world’s most deadly attacks on the press.
The case involved 101 detained suspects, with 81 suspects still at large. On Thursday, Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes sentenced 28 people found “to have acted as principal” in the massacre, including Ampatuan Jnr, his brother Zaldy and six other relatives, to life imprisonment.
Another 15 defendants were convicted as accomplices to the killings and sentenced to at least six years in prison. More than 50 other accused were acquitted because of lack of evidence, including four members of the Ampatuan clan and dozens of police officers.
The judge also awarded millions of pesos (tens of thousands of US dollars) in damages to the family of each victim, which will accrue 6 per cent interest every year until paid.