US again slams Dominican Republic on Haitians row

Santo Domingo.- The US State Dept. accuses Dominican Republic of discrimination against Haitians for alleged violations of their rights that have led to their statelessness, allegations similar to those stated in the same report for 2013.

In its report on Human Rights for 2014, Washington cites Constitutional Court ruling 168-13, which the State Dept. calls discriminatory because it denies the right to a Dominican nationality for children of Haitians born in the country.

It also says Haitians in country aren’t issue Dominican Republic birth certificates and are denied the right to education for their children, who in its view are shunned in public schools.

The report also notes that Haitians cannot open bank accounts in the country and face discrimination for having a dark complexion.

"Since 2005 the Government has not fully complied with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), in the sense that the country had a legal obligation under its Constitution and by virtue of international conventions, to recognize the citizenship of the children of immigrants born in the Dominican Republic," the State Dept. said.