Antonio Taveras introduces bill to eliminate jail sentences for defamation

Santo Domingo.- Senator Antonio Taveras Guzmán submitted a bill to amend several provisions of Law 74-25, aiming to strengthen constitutional protections for freedom of expression and the press, while ensuring that offenses against honor comply with principles of legality and proportionality. The proposal also seeks to shield media organizations from sanctions that could restrict their operations.

Among the key changes, the initiative would modify Article 208 so that only the public attribution of false facts that harm a person’s reputation would constitute defamation. Prison sentences would be eliminated and replaced with fines ranging from three to eight times the public-sector minimum wage, in addition to civil compensation. The proposal also revises Article 209 by reclassifying extortionate defamation as an aggravated form of defamation, reducing penalties from five to ten years in prison to between 15 days and one year when the offense is used to obtain undue benefits or coerce another person.

The reform further removes prison penalties for defamation under Article 210, limiting sanctions to fines and civil damages. It also amends Article 212 to prohibit measures such as media closures, license revocations, equipment seizures, or suspensions of operations in cases involving honor or privacy violations. Additionally, Taveras proposes repealing Article 310, which criminalizes insults against public officials, arguing that it grants special protection to government authorities and undermines equality before the law. According to the senator, the reforms seek to modernize Dominican legislation, align it with constitutional and international human rights standards, and better balance the protection of reputation with freedom of expression and democratic oversight.