COTABATO CITY (Juan Magtanggol / 06 Oct) – A Filipino court on Friday has sentenced three men for murdering a woman journalist in the southern Philippines.
The men were found guilty in the March 2005 killing of Marlene Esperat, who was shot in front of her children inside their house in Tacurong town in Sultan Kudarat province in the dangerous island of Mindanao.
The three were believed to be hired killers, but the masterminds in the killing were still unknown, although the victim’s family had linked two agriculture officials to the murder.
Esperat, who worked with The Midland Review, had accused the two government officials of corruption.
The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) praised the court’s decision, but said the battle for press freedom is still far from over. "We welcome the decision. It's another victory for press freedom," NUJP chairman Jose Torres Jr. said in a statement.
A total of 86 journalists have been killed the past three decades and almost half of these under the administration of President Gloria Arroyo, who took power in 2001.
International media organizations have described the Philippines as among the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, second only to Iraq.(With a report from Mark Navales)
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