Justice Minister: Slander shouldn’t lead to prison

Santo Domingo.- Justice minister Francisco Dominguez on Tuesday stated his position on "the crime of defamation and slander" and noted that it "shouldn’t lead to imprisonment".

In a letter to El Caribe newspaper editor in chief Osvaldo Santana, the official said that penalties for press offenses "must be of another nature in accordance with the rules of law in our legal system on civil and criminal liability, regardless of the penalties of deprivation of freedom."

The Justice Minister’s letter comes in the heels of Constitutional Court proceedings against several media directors, but doesn’t refer to the “cascading responsibility” also contained in the legal action.