Andal Ampatuan snr has been arraigned in a special court in Manila for his part in orchestrating the massacre of 57 people on 23 November 2009 in Maguindanao, Mindanao. Concepcion ‘Connie’ Brizuela of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines was amongst those murdered. Andal Ampatuan snr is accused of ordering and being involved in planning the massacre, with his son, Andal Ampatuan jnr, leading the 150 gunmen that carried out the attack.

So far 80 people have been arrested for their involvement in the massacre. More than 100 other suspects, including Ampatuan relatives and members of a government-armed militia that worked under the family’s direct command, remain at large.

The massacre has been the subject of two letter-writing actions we have issued about the need to disband private armies in the Philippines.

Source: The Australian newspaper, 2 June 2011, p. 11