Zaldy Uy Ampatuan (born August 22, 1967) is a Filipino convicted mass murderer and former politician. He is one of the main perpetrators of the
Maguindanao massacre
The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre, named after the town where mass graves of victims were found, occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in then-undivided Maguindanao (which is now Magu ...
along with his father, brothers, and nephews.
He served as
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( tl, Rehiyong Awtonomo ng Muslim Mindanao; ar, الحكم الذاتي الاقليمي لمسلمي مندناو ''Al-ḥukm adh-dhātī al-'iqlīmī li-muslimī Mindanāu''; abbreviated as ARMM) was ...
(ARMM) from 2005 until his suspension in 2009 due to his role in the massacre. He was a member of the
ARMM Legislative Assembly from 1993 to 1998.
As one of the sons of
Andal Ampatuan Sr., he is part of a powerful political dynasty based in
Maguindanao
Maguindanao (, Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Prubinsya nu Magindanaw''; Iranun language, Iranun'': Perobinsia a Magindanao''; tl, Lalawigan ng Maguindanao) was a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the ...
.
Maguindanao massacre
Zaldy Ampatuan began his term as ARMM governor on September 30, 2005. Zaldy was expelled from office when his brother,
Andal Ampatuan Jr., was accused of carrying out the
Maguindanao massacre
The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre, named after the town where mass graves of victims were found, occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in then-undivided Maguindanao (which is now Magu ...
of 2009. He was arrested in the province of Maguindanao and held by the Philippine military on charges of rebellion, but in April 2010 the
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
decided to drop all murder charges against him, citing lack of evidence. However, in May 2010, Justice Secretary
Alberto Agra reversed the ruling and restored the murder charges against Ampatuan due to new evidence.
On December 19, 2019, Ampatuan brothers Zaldy, Andal Jr., and Anwar Sr., as well as their other relatives and accomplices, were convicted of 57 counts of murder. Judge
Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
Regional Trial Court sentenced them to ''
reclusion perpetua
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society. The word is from the Latin ''recludere'', which means "shut up" or "sequester". Historically, the word referred to a Christian hermit's total isolation from th ...
'' (20 to 40 years imprisonment) without eligibility for parole. The Ampatuans will serve 30 years in prison since their 10-year detention will be credited to their sentences.
They will serve their sentence in
New Bilibid Prison
The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila is the main insular prison designed to house the prison population of the Philippines. It is maintained by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice. As of Octo ...
. The convicts were also ordered to pay
₱155.6 million in damages to the heirs of their victims.
References
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