197 charged over Philippines massacre
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The shallow graves were found near the national highway in Maguindanao province. (Reuters : Erik de Castro )
Nearly 200 people have been charged with murder in connection with a politically motivated mass killing in the Philippines last year.
They include the head of a powerful clan and a former ally of President Gloria Aroyo.
The Philippines justice department said 197 people would face murder charges following a National Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the Maguindanao massacre.
Among them is Andal Ampatuan senior, the head of the powerful Ampatuan family, which controlled local politics and ran a private army in the province.
Until now only one man, Andal Ampatuan junior, had been charged with murder in connection with the killing of 57 people in November.
The victims were systematically murdered and buried in shallow pits or dumped in grasslands just near the national highway in Maguindanao province, where Ampatuan Snr was governor.
- BBC
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