The patriarch of a powerful clan in the southern Philippines has been charged with authorizing the massacre of 57 of his political rivals.
Another 196, including family members, police, and civilian militia, also face charges for their role in what has become the country’s worst election-related violence in recent years.
Andal Ampatuan Sr., whose family has dominated the unruly Maguindanao Province for over a decade, will face 57 counts of murder before a Manila court.
It is alleged that Ampatuan Sr., who has close ties to the country’s President Gloria Arroyo, was behind the deaths of a group of supporters of political rival Esmael Mangudadatu.
The victims—among whom were Mangudadatu’s wife and pregnant sister—had been traveling to the provincial capital to file election papers for Mangudadatu, who is running for governor in the May elections.
They were ambushed and shot by a group of around 100 armed men. Their bodies were found in a mass grave in a mountainous area of the province.
Prior to Tuesday’s announcement on the mass charges, only the clan leader’s son—Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr—had been charged.
Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera told reporters that the charges against Ampatuan Jr.—who had been the key suspect in the massacre—had been modified.
Witnesses claim that Ampatuan Sr. had told his son “you know what to do” with regard to the convoy of Mangudadatu’s supporters.
The 69-year-old clan leader denies the statement, and claims the charges against him have been fabricated.
Twenty-five other members of his family, 65 soldiers and police officers, and 106 members of a civilian militia force are also among those who were charged on Tuesday.
“From the witnesses presented ... it can be deduced that the commission of the crime was planned deliberately by the perpetrators and that, until its consummation, there was an inexorable resolve to kill,” the indictment document said. “Consequently, their plan was carried out leading to the mass murder.”
Ampatuan Sr. is currently being guarded at an army hospital in Davao City on the southern Mindanao island. His brother and his three sons are being detained at a police base in another southern city.
Thirty local journalists were among those killed on Nov. 23. Last week, relatives of 14 of the murdered journalists petitioned the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to ensure the suspects do not escape justice.
Lawyer Harry Roque, who represents families of the journalists killed, told the BBC that he was concerned because so many people had been added to the charge.
“The fact that the system is moving does not necessarily mean that the system is, in fact, healthy,” he said.
“What we need right now are convictions, because the obligation of the state is not just to indict but to successfully prosecute the perpetrators of this act.”
The charges come as the country gears up toward a national election. Fifty million voters will choose a new president and regional governors on May 10.
Another 196, including family members, police, and civilian militia, also face charges for their role in what has become the country’s worst election-related violence in recent years.
Andal Ampatuan Sr., whose family has dominated the unruly Maguindanao Province for over a decade, will face 57 counts of murder before a Manila court.
It is alleged that Ampatuan Sr., who has close ties to the country’s President Gloria Arroyo, was behind the deaths of a group of supporters of political rival Esmael Mangudadatu.
The victims—among whom were Mangudadatu’s wife and pregnant sister—had been traveling to the provincial capital to file election papers for Mangudadatu, who is running for governor in the May elections.
They were ambushed and shot by a group of around 100 armed men. Their bodies were found in a mass grave in a mountainous area of the province.
Prior to Tuesday’s announcement on the mass charges, only the clan leader’s son—Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr—had been charged.
Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera told reporters that the charges against Ampatuan Jr.—who had been the key suspect in the massacre—had been modified.
Witnesses claim that Ampatuan Sr. had told his son “you know what to do” with regard to the convoy of Mangudadatu’s supporters.
The 69-year-old clan leader denies the statement, and claims the charges against him have been fabricated.
Twenty-five other members of his family, 65 soldiers and police officers, and 106 members of a civilian militia force are also among those who were charged on Tuesday.
“From the witnesses presented ... it can be deduced that the commission of the crime was planned deliberately by the perpetrators and that, until its consummation, there was an inexorable resolve to kill,” the indictment document said. “Consequently, their plan was carried out leading to the mass murder.”
Ampatuan Sr. is currently being guarded at an army hospital in Davao City on the southern Mindanao island. His brother and his three sons are being detained at a police base in another southern city.
Thirty local journalists were among those killed on Nov. 23. Last week, relatives of 14 of the murdered journalists petitioned the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to ensure the suspects do not escape justice.
Lawyer Harry Roque, who represents families of the journalists killed, told the BBC that he was concerned because so many people had been added to the charge.
“The fact that the system is moving does not necessarily mean that the system is, in fact, healthy,” he said.
“What we need right now are convictions, because the obligation of the state is not just to indict but to successfully prosecute the perpetrators of this act.”
The charges come as the country gears up toward a national election. Fifty million voters will choose a new president and regional governors on May 10.
