High court ruling advances freedom of the press: Think tank

Santo Domingo.- The Institutional and Justice Foundation(Finjus) on Monday said the Constitutional Court ruling that strikes down severalarticles of the Law on Expression and Dissemination of Thought, includingdecriminalization, puts the Dominican Republic at the height of othercountries.

Finjus executive vice president Servio Tulio Castaños said theInter-American Court of Human Rights and that the American Convention had also adoptedsuch ruling he affirms justifies the High Court’s decision.

The prominent attorney said other aspects must be discussed,but must first wait for the court to hand down the entire ruling, to betteranalyze it since the Penal Code provisions establish similar penalties.

"Obviously, that must be analyzed, the court’s motivationsmust be seen, but in principle, without a doubt, all those of us who believe inthis country with freedom of expression and dissemination of ideas support a rulingof this nature," Castaños said.