This week, CPJ's Shawn W. Crispin examined the
incredible risks and challenges confronting witnesses to journalist murders in
the
Philippines.
Crispin's report, "
Under
Oath, Under Threat," featured Bob Flores, a man who has demonstrated
extraordinary courage in identifying a gunman in the slaying of radio
journalist Dennis Cuesta. Crispin and I had met Flores earlier this year in
Manila, and we came away both inspired and determined to
highlight the issue of witness intimidation in the
Philippines.
We
had had traveled to Manila
to release CPJ's 2009 Impunity Index, a ranking of countries where journalists
are slain regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes. The Philippines is
sixth of this notorious list, with 24 unsolved journalist murders over the past
decade.
It
was just about a year ago that Flores watched Cuesta, a friend and colleague,
die in his arms after being shot along a main highway in General Santos City. Cuesta was
killed after reporting on potential police involvement in a local gambling
operation. The gunman identified by Flores was
a senior police official.
Ensuring
the safety of witnesses such as Flores is
crucial to the fight against impunity. It is not easy: Flores,
like many witnesses before him, saw his life threatened and the safety of his
family put at risk. He and his family have enrolled in the government's Witness Protection Program--but, as Crispin describes in detail, the economic and social hardships
they face are enormous. A recent analysis by Melanie
Pinlac of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility notes: "Convincing
witnesses to testify in court--especially in cases involving powerful
personalities--is itself as problematic as finding them"
Yet
the sacrifices of these witnesses can make all the difference in bringing justice. In
the Philippines,
two rare successful prosecutions were made possible by strong witness
testimony. One of those cases involved columnist Marlene Garcia Esperat, who
was murdered March 24, 2005, in her own home. Witness testimony led to the
convictions of three assassins. Charges are pending against the alleged
masterminds.
When
CPJ launched its Global Campaign Against Impunity in November 2007, we sought to examine the
specific circumstances that have created cultures of impunity. We've focused on
the Philippines and Russia,
countries with two of the worst records in convicting the killers of
journalists. Working with local groups, such as the Freedom Fund for Filipino
Journalists, we are homing in on the causes of impunity and are identifying the
solutions.
Most
murders in the Philippines
have taken place in the provinces, and many have involved public officials or
other influential local people. These suspects often wield great influence among
local law enforcement and judicial officials. In addition to supporting
vulnerable witnesses, CPJ and its partners often seek the relocation of trials
to venues where there are fewer opportunities for suspects to sway the proceedings or intimidate witnesses. Hiring private prosecutors to assist Department of
Justice officials is another means to keep a case on the track to justice.
More convictions will create a safer climate for
witnesses and, ultimately, for journalists. We need more people like Bob Flores--and
we need to do all we can to support them.
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