26 Nov Largest massacre of journalists ever

The Toronto-based International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) reports that at least 21 journalists were killed in a politically motivated massacre of more than 52 people in the Philippines this week. It is the largest group of journalists killed in a single incident ever. Abducted by armed men, many of the victims were beheaded and mutilated; some of the women were raped.

The dead were part of a convoy delivering candidacy papers for Ismael Mangudadatu, a local mayor and candidate for governor Maguindanao province on Mindanao island. Mangudadatu’s wife and several other relatives were among the dead.

The killings have received scant mention in the Canadian media. CBC reports that Philippine authorities have laid murder charges against a member of the powerful Ampatuan family, which is closely allied to President Arroyo, for whom they delivered crucial votes in recent elections.

The Aljazeera network has video [Content warning: some of the images are disturbing.]

Hat tip: Nick Filmore, who says the number of dead journalists