Maguindanao massacre trial opens
The murder trial of Maguindanao Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr, accused of murdering 57 people, the worst political massacre in the country, s
The prosecution witness presented during the trial claimed he was at the meeting in November last year, a few days before the gruesome Maguindanao massacre happened.
The witness claimed that Andal Sr gathered them at the time to discuss how to stop the convoy of his son’s rival from filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) in Maguindanao. Andal Jr suggested to kill them all, the witness said.
According to global press watchdogs, the “Maguindanao or Ampatuan massacre” is the biggest attack on the working press in history, with at least 30 journalists included in the convoy who were among those shot dead on November 23 last year in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao province. The convoy was said to be on their way to file the COC for governor of Esmael (Toto) Mangadadatu, who was the Vice Mayor at the time of Buluan town. The 57 people kidnapped and brutally killed in the massacre included the said journalists, Mangudadatu’s wife, his two sisters, lawyers, aides and motorists who were mistakenly identified as part of the convoy.
Some witnesses had also been killed since the massacre before they were placed under witness protection program.
Rights groups request the government to provide effective witness protection for these trials to succeed.
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