— The patriarch of a powerful clan pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he masterminded the 2009 massacre of at least 57 political opponents and journalists in the Philippines’ worst election-related killings.
Andal Ampatuan Sr. was arraigned in a special court inside a Manila maximum-security prison, 18 months after he and a dozen family members were arrested over the killings in southern Maguindanao province that rattled a country accustomed to political violence.
With his father’s approval, Ampatuan’s son, former town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., is accused of leading about 150 gunmen who allegedly stopped an election caravan and mowed down the family and supporters of their political rival. Most of the victims were women and included at least 31 journalists and their staff, the single worst killing of media workers in the world.
A total of 196 people have been charged with multiple murder, 88 of whom are in custody, and 57 have been arraigned. More than 50 others are still at large.
Andal Ampatuan Jr. and the others previously have pleaded not guilty.
The International Federation of Journalists said Wednesday’s arraignment was “an important milestone.”
“We can only hope that the trial continues to progress from this point on for the sake of the victims’ families,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.
After a clerk of court read the names of the 57 victims, 70-year-old Andal Ampatuan Sr., dressed in a yellow detainee shirt and black slacks, was asked to enter a plea and responded in his native Maguindanao language, “not guilty.”
About two dozen victims’ relatives seated in the courtroom jeered, prompting Judge Jocelyn Reyes to issue a warning to keep quiet.
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