Leaders of the powerful Ampatuan family dynasty orchestrated the killings on Nov. 23, 2009, in a remote part of the conflict-plagued south of the Philippines in a bid to quash an election challenge from a rival clan. A Manila court yesterday found 43 people guilty as principals or accessories to 57 of the murders. As principal suspects, Ampatuan Jr and 27 others — including seven of his relatives — were each sentenced to at least 30 years in jail without parole. However, two clan leaders and more than 50 other police officers and alleged members of the Ampatuan militia were acquitted. The murders had cast a spotlight on the Philippines’ notorious culture of impunity, in which powerful and wealthy figures often operate above the law.
