Impunity, not just Ampatuans,
on trial in the Philippines – CPJ

IN two weeks, journalists both from all over the country and around the world will commemorate the first anniversary of the Maguindanao Massacre, the world’s worst single incident of violence involving newsmen.

But as journalists remember and honor their fallen comrades, the trial of the suspects in the massacre is only entering its second month. Long delays brought about by legal wrangling and the harassment of witnesses and families of the victims have drawn out what many have already predicted to be the longest, most important, and most complex legal and political battle in the country.

In a special report published in its website, the Committee to Protect Journalists says the Ampatuan trial is a trial, not just of a political family, but of the state of impunity in the Philippines.

Read the report here.