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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
As the proposed FY 2025 Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Budget Request allocations come under scrutiny, it’s imperative to assess their potential impact on human rights in the Dominican Republic. In response, Mario H. Lopez, leader of the Dominican Justice Initiative and president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, expressed…
Last week, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat attempted to whitewash the Dominican Republic’s horrendous human rights record when he attacked the State Department’s 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Dominican Republic stating it was “highly distorted from reality” and “excessive and aggressive.” It is clear this is an intentional effort by the Congressman to protect…
Abinader Government Attacks Report as “Aggressive” and “Unfounded” This week, the U.S. State Department issued its 2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in the Dominican Republic, detailing a serious deterioration of human rights over the past year in which the government of President Luis Abinader “did not take credible steps to identify and punish…
Last week, civil society leaders continued to expose more horrific human rights abuses and brutality at the hands of authorities of the Dominican Republic. In response to the worsening situation, a former director of prisons in the country pointed the finger at “corruption, sabotage and conspiracy” happening inside the Public Ministry with the knowledge of…
Overcrowded conditions at Higüey Prison before Tuesday’s fire (source: Panorama) On Tuesday night, another fire broke out at an overcrowded prison in the Dominican Republic. A blaze tore through the preventive detention section of Higüey Prison in the latest tragic episode in the Dominican Republic’s preventive detention crisis. The fire at Higüey comes only weeks…
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