Round 6:¨Dominican Republic police halt anticorruption protest

Santo Domingo.- For thesixth time since grassroots organizations called for protests, Antiriot police setup a perimeter around the National Palace Wednesday afternoon, to keep thegroup from reached the building housing the embattled State Works Supervisory EngineersOffice (OISOE), where an alleged ring of loan sharks prompted the architect and contractor David Rodriguez to take his ownlife in a bathroom of the government agency.

Dozens of agents with riotshields, body armor, tear gas and other crowd control measures are stationed atthe various intersections near the House of Government.

The protests have beenheld during the last six weeks after a Superior Administrative Court rulinghanded down on October 21acknowledged their right to gather peacefully in frontof the OISOE.

Nonetheless Interiorand Police minister Jose Ramon Fadul has challenged the ruling, noting that thepolice would prevent the protest outside the OISOE because it is part of theNational Palace´s surroundings and in his view pose a risk to president DaniloMedina´s safety.