Dominican Republic protests déjà vu Guatemala

Santo Domingo.- PresidentDanilo Medina´s silence makes him an accomplice of corruption in the StateWorks Supervisory Engineers Office –OISOE- scandal, said Manuel Robles,coordinator of the grassroots movement Poder Ciudadano (citizen power) in theirseventh protest near the National Palace on Wednesday.

The mounting protests,with hundreds of people taking part, are akin to the movement in Guatemala in April,when president Otto Pérez Molina was forced out of office, stemming fromcharges of corruption by that country´s Office of the Attorney General.

Forming the usual humanchain, this time the protesters carried a wide variety of colorful balloons withmessages against corruption in Medina´s administration.

The messages includedharsh criticism against the president´s silence, despite the scandal whichprompted contractor David Rodriguez to take his own life in a bathroom of thatagency.

Robles called Medina adespot and tyrant for ignoring court rulings which reiterate citizens´ right toexpression and protest.