The Wire

Journalists in the Philippines are up in arms following a decision by the Secretary of Justice to release two men accused of orchestrating the single biggest killing of reporters in peacetime. Killed in the Maguindanao massacre last November were 57 people, including 32 reporters. The accused murderers are the Ampatuan clan– a powerful political family allied to the Philippine President, Gloria Arroyo. It is believed the Ampatuans were targeting an election candidate who threatened to end their long-held grip on power in the country’s south.