Zaldy Ampatuan to turn state witness?
By JOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE
WILL Zaldy Ampatuan, one of the prime suspects in the gruesome murder of 58 people in the Ampatuan Massacre, take the witness stand to turn against his kin?
Talks are rife that the suspended ARMM governor has been secretly talking with his lawyers to break his silence about the case and pinpoint his father Andal Ampatuan Sr. and brother Andal Jr. as the real masterminds behind the murders.
Zaldy, who has yet to be arraigned, had been reportedly seeking this option to lessen his punishment should he be convicted of the 57 counts of murder charged against him and others implicated in the case.
Although 58 persons in all died, only 57 counts of murder have been filed because the body of one of the victims, photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, has yet to be found.
Although his camp has repeatedly denied this, the worsening relationship between him and his father had fuelled talks that Zaldy is willing to turn his back against his family.
“The two are not talking,” said Senior Inspector Edgar Camus, who stands as the Quezon City Jail Annex jail warden.
Camus said Zaldy and the senior Ampatuan have
Human rights group Karapatan welcomed on Thursday, December 19, the conviction of 28 suspects, including Datu Andal Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan, in the infamous Ampatuan massacre that brutally claimed the lives of 58 individuals, including 32 journalists who were supposed to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of then gubernatorial bet Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu.
Human rights group Karapatan welcomed on Thursday, December 19, the conviction of 28 suspects, including Datu Andal Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan, in the infamous Ampatuan massacre that brutally claimed the lives of 58 individuals, including 32 journalists who were supposed to cover the filing of the certificate of candidacy of then gubernatorial bet Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu.
“We welcome the court’s decision to convict Datu Andal "Unsay" Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan, who masterminded the heinous massacre on November 23, This is a long-deserved win for the families of victims of the Ampatuan massacre, who waited a decade for such a decision. We attribute this victory to the tireless pursuit of justice led by the familie
Maguindanao : Philippine family clan members guilty of massacre
A Philippines court has found the masterminds of the country's worst political massacre guilty of murder.
In , 58 people - 32 of them journalists - were killed when their convoy was attacked in the southern province of Maguindanao.
Five members of the clan, including brothers Andal Ampatuan Jr and Zaldy Ampatuan, were sentenced to life in prison. A third brother was acquitted.
The case was seen as a test of the integrity of the justice system.
It comes amid claims by rights groups that impunity for powerful politicians is on the rise in the country, says the BBC's Howard Johnson in Manila.
Three other members of the clan - Anwar Ampatuan Sr, Anwar Ampatuan Jr, and Anwar Sajid Ampatuan were also found guilty.
The Ampatuans deny all charges and said they would appeal against the verdict.
Other suspects, who were ordered by the Ampatuan family to carry out the killings, received sentences of between six to 10 years in prison.
About 80 other suspects remain at large, including police officers and Ampatuan clan members.
Many accused police officers were acquitted.
Timeline: The Maguindanao killings and the struggle for justice
A court in the Philippines is expected to hand down on Thursday its verdict in the Maguindanao mass killings, the world’s worst single-day murder of media workers and the worst case of election-related violence in the country’s history.
Andal Ampatuan Jr, a town mayor in Maguindanao province in Mindanao island, and several of his politically powerful relatives, stand accused of killing 58 people, including family members of their political rival, 32 journalists and several witnesses. In total, the trial has defendants.
Since the attack, also referred to in the Philippines as the Ampatuan “massacre”, at least three witnesses have been killed, while 80 of the suspects, including police officers and soldiers close to the Ampatuan family, remain at large.
Maguindanao mass killings in the Philippines |
Victims’ families, media groups covering the case and lawyers representing the victims have also reported threats and harassment.
While the case took more than a 10 years to resolve, the process is still considered to be speedy, given the number of suspects involved and the volume of evidence considered.
Biographies you may also like
Advaita acharya biography of alberta Advaita, the abode of virtue, is a portion (aàça) of Mahä Viñhëu. Because He is not different from Viñëu, Advaita is His most perfect name. (Chaitanya Charitamrita ) He is the noblest .
Elizabeth 2nd biography At the age of just 25, Elizabeth II became queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. She came to the throne after the death of her father, King George VI, in .
Stan egi tamlyn tomita biography Biography, career, personal life and other interesting facts. Tamlyn Naomi Tomita (born January 27, ) is an American actress of Japanese descent. She made her screen debut as .
Raghava kk biography definition Raghava KK is a self-taught artist, born in Bangalore, India in His work has spanned genres as widely disparate as painting, sculpture, installation, film, performance, and even his own Missing: definition.
Biography about anne sullivan Anne Sullivan was a skilled educator most remembered for her work with Helen Keller, a deaf and blind child whom she trained to converse. Sullivan, who was only 20 years old at the time, had .
Joseph henri moissan biography channel Henri Moissan, dont la passion pour la chimie brillait comme une flamme inextinguible, était plongé dans ses recherches. C'était un homme qui rêvait de transformer le monde par les .