58 people were brutally killed on November 23, 2009 in the southern part of the Philippines. Among the victims were 34 journalists. “The massacre made the Philippines the most dangerous country for journalists worldwide” says Maike Grabowski, coordinator of the Action Network Human Rights – Philippines.
A year has past and the families of the victims are still waiting for a conviction of the perpetrators.
While the suspects from the ranks of the influential Ampatuan-clan have been on trial since last September, experts are afraid the process could drag on for years.
In an open letter to the Philippine embassy in Berlin, the Action Network commemorates the victims of this atrocious massacre and deplores the general climate of impunity in the Philippines. The perpetrators of human rights violations would rarely be held responsible and reforms that lead to more justice in the judiciary would be lacking.