Philippine massacre suspect Ampatuan dies in hospital

[CantStop]

Philippine massacre suspect Ampatuan dies in hospital: lawyer

AFP
July 18, 2015, 4:14 am

Manila (AFP) - The patriarch of a warlord clan who is on trial for the Philippines' worst political massacre has died, his lawyer said Saturday, days after he slipped into a coma.

Andal Ampatuan Sr. and seven other members of the powerful Ampatuan clan are among 100 people on trial for the slaughter of 58 people in the conflict-wracked southern province of Maguindanao in November 2009.

The elder Ampatuan, who had been confined to a suburban Manila hospital for two months battling liver cancer, suffered a heart attack this month before slipping into a coma.

"It is with deep sadness that I announce to the public that former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. has passed away a few minutes ago," lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said in a statement.

"Details of his death are still sketchy. What is confirmed is that his mortal remains will be treated in accordance with Islamic customs."

The trial over the murders in 2009 has moved excruciatingly slowly.

The victims, who included 32 journalists, some of whom were shot in their genitals, were buried in a hilltop grave using an excavator.

The brazenness and brutality of the crime shocked the world, and reinforced a perceived "culture of impunity" in the Philippines, where the powerful believe they can commit crimes like murder and escape unpunished.

The Ampatuan patriarch ruled Maguindanao as governor for a decade with a private army tolerated by then president Gloria Arroyo who used his forces as a buffer against Muslim insurgents.

One of his sons and co-accused, Sajid Ampatuan, was released on bail in May.

Many suspects, including Ampatuan clan members, remain at large while human rights groups and victims' relatives say witnesses are being killed or intimidated to try to sabotage the case.

"Justice would have been better served for both our clients and the defendants if a decision were reached before Andal Ampatuan Sr. passed away," said Harry Roque, a lawyer for the victims' families.

"We know that the search for justice continues and we will persevere on behalf of our clients," he said in a statement.