MANILA, Philippines – The man of a coercive clan pleaded not blameable Wednesday to charges he masterminded the 2009 remove of at small 57 semipolitical opponents and journalists in the Philippines' poorest election-related killings.
Andal Ampatuan Sr. was arraigned in a primary suite inside a Manila maximum-security prison, 18 months after he and a dozen kinsfolk members were inactive over the killings in southern Maguindanao domain that rattled a country habitual to semipolitical violence.
With his father's approval, Ampatuan's son, past town politician Andal Ampatuan Jr., is accused of directive most 150 gunmen who allegedly obstructed an election procession and mowed down the kinsfolk and supporters of their semipolitical rival. Most of the victims were women and included at small 31 journalists and their staff, the azygos poorest ending of media workers in the world.
A total of 196 people hit been live with binary murder, 88 of whom are in custody, and 57 hit been arraigned. More than 50 others are ease at large.
Andal Ampatuan Jr. and the others previously hit pleaded not guilty.
The International Federation of Journalists said Wednesday's arraignment was "an important milestone."
"We crapper only wish that the effort continues to advancement from this saucer on for the sake of the victims' families," IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.
After a salesperson of suite feature the obloquy of the 57 victims, 70-year-old Andal Ampatuan Sr., clad in a chromatic detainee shirt and black slacks, was asked to enter a appeal and responded in his autochthonous Maguindanao language, "not guilty."
About digit dozen victims' relatives seated in the room jeered, prompting Judge Jocelyn Reyes to supply a warning to ready quiet.
Source
0 comments:
Post a Comment