Mandela Day: Shining a Light on Human Rights in the Dominican Justice System

Mandela Day: Shining a Light on Human Rights in the Dominican Justice System

Nelson Mandela famously stated, “no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” In honor of Nelson Mandela International Day, the Dominican Justice Initiative again shines a light on the dire human rights abuses…

DR Government Makes It Clear: Human Rights Abuses Will Continue in Justice System

DR Government Makes It Clear: Human Rights Abuses Will Continue in Justice System

New “Preventive” Prison Means Human Rights Violations on a Bigger Scale Dominican President Luis Abinader announced last week the construction of a new prison specifically for those arrested, often without being charged, under preventive detention orders.  In so doing the Dominican government sent a clear signal to its people: the preventive detention crisis will continue…

Dominican Attorney General Announces Resignation, Expressing “Discontent”

Dominican Attorney General Announces Resignation, Expressing “Discontent”

Germán’s Comments Cast Doubt About the Independence of Her Office The Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, Miriam Germán Brito, told a group of media executives last that she will leave her position on August 16, indicating she was sidelined by others within the Public Ministry on key actions, including public statements by her own…

IACHR REPORT: DR JUSTICE SYSTEM RIFE WITH HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

IACHR REPORT: DR JUSTICE SYSTEM RIFE WITH HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the Organization of American States (OAS) has published more documented evidence of the serious human rights violations taking place in the justice system of the Dominican Republic in its annual report on human rights in the region. The IACHR report is the latest in a series of…

DR OUTCRY: PUBLIC MINISTRY THREATS ARE AN “ATTACK ON THE FREE PRESS”

DR OUTCRY: PUBLIC MINISTRY THREATS ARE AN “ATTACK ON THE FREE PRESS”

The Dominican College of Journalists (CDP) joined top reportersand newspaper editorials in condemning threats of retaliation against critics Various news outlets and a leading journalism association in the Dominican Republic accused the Office of the Attorney General at the Public Ministry of launching “a clear threat to freedom of the press” when it issued a…

DJI RESPONDS: WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED

DJI RESPONDS: WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED

The Dominican Government is threatening transnational repression against a U.S. organization that is speaking out about human rights violations in that country. A Statement from Mario H. Lopez,President of the Hispanic Leadership Fund/Dominican Justice Initiative The largest newspaper in the Dominican Republic today reported that the Public Ministry of the Dominican Republic made an explicit…

U.S. Special Representative for Labor Rights Visiting Dominican Republic: Will U.S. State Department Downgrade to Tier 3 Watchlist?

U.S. Special Representative for Labor Rights Visiting Dominican Republic: Will U.S. State Department Downgrade to Tier 3 Watchlist?

This week, Special Representative for International Labor Affairs (SRILA) Fay Rodríguez traveled to the Dominican Republic to reinforce President Biden’s Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally. The visit comes on the heels of a new report from the Dominican Justice Initiative, which illustrated how the U.S. Department of State should strongly…

Aruban Died of Medical Neglect in DR “Model” Prison

Aruban Died of Medical Neglect in DR “Model” Prison

Farro Case Is Another Example Of Inhumane Detention Conditions Human rights advocates and the family of Jarick Patrick Steven Farro, a 31 year-old Aruban citizen, are denouncing the authorities of the Dominican Republic for his death in Najayo prison on May 24 from a generalized infection they say was caused by medical neglect that stretched…

New Report: Dominican Republic Warrants Downgrade to Tier 3 Watchlist on Human Trafficking

New Report: Dominican Republic Warrants Downgrade to Tier 3 Watchlist on Human Trafficking

In a new report, the Dominican Justice Initiative illustrated how the U.S. Department of State should strongly consider downgrading the Dominican Republic to Tier 3 in its forthcoming 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report. Currently, the Dominican Republic is on the Tier 2 Watch List. The Dominican Republic’s clear lack of progress to reach minimum Trafficking…

The DR Election is Over. Will Human Rights Be a Priority Now for the United States?

The DR Election is Over. Will Human Rights Be a Priority Now for the United States?

On Monday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller issued a statement to congratulate Dominican President Luis Abinader on his re-election Sunday, adding that “[w]e look forward to working closely with President Abinader’s new administration”. Now that the election is over, the first question for the Biden Administration is simple: what actions will it take over the…

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