The continued journalist killings in the country prompted the international press watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres and other media organizations worldwide, including the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, to write a letter to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to show their concern about the killings.

Ten international NGOs press Arroyo over Esperat murder case
Source: Reporters Sans Frontieres

On the eve of the trial of four men accused of carrying out the March 2005 murder of journalist and anti-corruption activist Marlene Esperat, ten international non-governmental organisations today called on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to ensure that justice is carried out for those who ordered the killing, as well as for those who carried it out.

The NGOs pledged to support the demands of Esperat’s family, lawyer and colleagues for justice to be done in this case.

“We support the calls by Philippine press freedom groups for the investigation’s conclusions to be reviewed,” they said. “This case shocked both Philippine journalists and the international community, and judicial system must not allow the instigators to go unpunished. Its credibility is at stake.”

"We are concerned by reports that the Cebu regional court says it foresees a rapid trial for the accused perpetrators, who have reportedly confessed. While trials should be quick they should not be hasty, and we are concerned that others, suspected of commissioning this murder, have not been named in the indictments for the trial, scheduled to resume on May 22," the NGOs said.

The NGOs also urged President Arroyo to ensure that the witnesses are protected before, during and after the trial. The groups have supported - morally and materially - the efforts of Esperat’s family and colleagues to obtain justice. And they intend to follow the trial with the help of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists.

To read the rest of the letter, click here.