WAN-IFRA condemns vehemently this unique and terrible mass crime, most probably the deadliest ever single slaughter of journalists. At the same time, WAN-IFRA is appalled that 100 reporters have previously been murdered in the Philippines since 1986 and that 24 murder cases remain unresolved.

WAN-IFRA condemns the climate of impunity that prevails in the Philippines, which exposes those who report independently and express dissent views to the threat of deadly violence. Thirty-seven journalists have now been murdered since the beginning of the year. The journalists murdered last week were traveling with a group of politicians and political supporters planning to file candidacy papers for Esmael Mangudadatu, an opposition gubernatorial candidate in Maguindanao province, when the attack occurred on 23 November.

According to local reports, around 100 armed men, allegedly supporters of the current governor, ambushed the group and took the victims to a remote location where some of them were killed and buried in a mass grave. There is evidence that the journalists were specifically selected for murder.

The Board of WAN-IFRA urges the Philippine government to act with decisiveness, in order to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice and end the climate of impunity in which this massacre is rooted. It also calls on the Philippine government to guarantee independent media access to the Maguindanao province, as accurate, independent and timely reporting in this region is more than ever critical, and to take full responsibility for the security and safety of journalists.