UNESCO: Maguindanao Massacre case ‘unresolved’ until verdict final

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will maintain its classification of the Maguindanao Massacre case as "unresolved" until the Philippine courts reach a final decision, the organization said.

UNESCO Deputy Director General Xing Qu said they learned early this month that appeals have been filed in connection with the case.

"Based on this new information, the legal cases concerned will, therefore, be maintained as 'ongoing/unresolved' in the UNESCO Observatory of killed journalists, as well as in the upcoming 'Director General's Report on Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity until such a moment when a final verdict is reached by the Philippine judicial system," the UNESCO official said.

He wrote the letter in response to an appeal by families of the victims, civil society groups, and journalists that objected to the reported UNESCO classification of the multiple murder case as "resolved."

Though they acknowledged the conviction of members of the Ampatuan clan and several others late last year as a "triumph of justice," the groups told UNESCO that the decision was appealable, and that many of the suspects remain at large.

They also raised that the UNESCO classification has been used by the Duterte administration "to paint a misleading picture of the state of press freedom in the country."

Qu welcomed their letter and recognized the importance of hearing the side of the massacre victims' families and their representatives.

"We also note that, for the due process of law to be preserved in line with international human rights standards, their voices should be taken into account," he said.

The Maguindanao Massacre is considered as the Philippines' worst case of election-related violence and the single deadliest attack on journalists since detailed records were kept. Thirty-two of the victims were members of the media.

On November 23, 2009, the wife, relatives, and supporters of Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu, a gubernatorial candidate in the 2010 elections, were on their way to file his candidacy to challenge an Ampatuan for the post when they were abducted, shot using high-powered firearms, and buried in pits on top of a remote hill.

After almost a decade of trial, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes handed down a guilty verdict for over 40 people led by members of the Ampatuan clan.

Convictions are appealable up to the Supreme Court.—LDF, GMA News