Struggle against impunity: SEAPA's statement on the first anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre

Southeast Asian Press Alliance 

The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) commemorates today the first year since 58 people, among them 32 journalists and media workers, were killed in broad daylight by men whom witnesses claim are members of the Ampatuan political clan and their armed followers in Maguindanao province in the Philippines.

We at SEAPA are gravely concerned at the slow pace of the trial against the 17 accused--including Andal "Unsay" Ampatuan Jr., son of the Maguindanao governor and mayor of Datu Unsay town; policemen and militiamen. The trial started only in September this year, or 10 months after the massacre.

We also denounce the attempts to derail the case with the killing of a potential witness and the harassment of several more. We urge the administration of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to ensure the protection of the current witnesses and their families, and provide safety for individuals who will testify against the accused.

Most of all, we demand for justice in the Ampatuan massacre case, not only for the number of victims nor of the heinousness of the crime itself, but also for the involvement of certain local government officials and other agents of the state in this barbaric act. The government should not  let the Ampatuan clan or its political allies interfere with the meting out of justice against the accused.

Which leads us to the broader issue--that of impunity. The Philippines still holds the dubious world record of having the most number of journalists killed in a single incident. And the Philippines is not even considered a war zone like Iraq or Afghanistan. Where journalists are threatened and even killed just for performing their duty, press freedom is truly in danger. And

where press freedom is in peril, then the general public is deprived of its right to know and participate in the democratic processes.

We call on President Aquino to ensure that justice is truly served in the Ampatuan multiple murder trial. Obtaining justice for the victims of this massacre will also serve as a major step in making impunity a thing of the past in the Philippines.

• Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI)
• Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI);
• Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
• Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ)
• Thai Journalists Association (TJA)