“You are a Haitian with a document”: Reconocido (Recognized) leader tells how he was detained “for no reason”

El Seibo – The journalist was detained in El Seibo for no apparent reason, even though he has Dominican documents and had not incurred a violation of the law.

The journalist and leader of the Movimiento Reconocido (Recognized Movement), Franklin Dinol, today denounced the abuse of power and arbitrary detention by National Police officers.

The incident occurred while he was riding a motorcycle in El Seibo.

“While I was moving towards a bus stop aboard a motorcycle, the National Police agents stopped me and asked me to show my identification, to which I proceeded and showed them my electoral identity card,” said Dinol.

“ When I showed him my ID one of the agents said it may be fake, to which I replied, if it is fake yours may also be fake, because it was given to me by the same agency that gave it to you,” he added.

“You are a Haitian with a document,” replied an agent.

The journalist added that after this, for no apparent reason, the agents proceeded to put him in the van, to which he told him that they could not put him in the van for no reason.

Franklin said that they still put him in the truck and handcuffed him and another migrant with whom he was riding the motorcycle.

Dinol said that immediately after he was detained he called one of the movement’s members to alert her of what had happened.

The leader of the movement indicated that upon arriving at the detachment, one of the agents ordered him to hand over his cell phone, which he refused, and upon his refusal to hand over the phone, one of the agents offered to beat him.

The situation was resolved thanks to several members of the Movimiento Reconocido and a priest from El Seibo, who came to his aid and freed him.

The complaint was made by telephone through the program El Sol de los Sábados.