Dominican Republic anticorruption protests spread abroad

Santo Domingo.- DominicanRepublic grassroots movement Poder Ciudadano (citizen power) on Monday stagedits second surprise human chain in front of the building housing the State SupervisoryEngineers Office (OISOE) demanding that Danilo Medina´s administration respecttheir right to free expression and close the corruption-fraught agency definitively.

The grassroots movementalso announced it will stage protests in cities where Dominicans live abroad,including the United States and Spain.

The protesters managedto evade the police perimeter which the Government has been forced to permanentlydeploy around OISOE, waving banners demanding serious actions against the theftof taxpayers’ money and an end to impunity.

Poder Ciudadano also showeda copy of the Superior Administrative Court ruling ordering the National Policeand the Interior and Police Ministry to respect peaceful protests andprotection the movement´s members.

"We have returnedto this place because we will not allow any government to violate and mock ourright to demonstrate peacefully. There is no legal or constitutional mandate tojustify the outrage that the authorities have committed against us. We willcontinue this struggle, which is just, peaceful and legal. Today we raise ourvoice against repression," said group spokesman Manuel Robles during the activity.

The first human chainin front of OISOE was staged November 24, which immediately drew a harsh responsefrom police, which doused the protesters with pepper spray while some were beatenwith batons, and dozens of officers dragged the main leaders away from the siteof the demonstration.

Poder Ciudadano´s secondsurprise protest at OISOE comes two days before the commemoration of InternationalDay of the Fight against Corruption in all provinces tomorrow Wednesday

Social movements andcivil society group from cities and towns have confirmed taking part in the eventnationwide.