Top Dominican investigative reporter gets death threat

Santo Domingo.-  Justice minister Jean Alain Rodríguez on Tues. said a death threat against investigative journalist Alicia Ortega will be investigated, after ‘Noticias SIN’ reported on the August, 2011 murder of journalist José Silvestre.

According to Ortega, the threats against his life came after she revealed that the main suspect in the journalist’s death, Matías Avelino Castro was being held in La Victoria and not in San Pedro prison, where the defendant had been remanded, according to his investigation.

Rodriguez however said although they will investigate the threat, the veteran journalist committed an “inaccuracy.”

“That’s an inaccuracy, perhaps due to lack of information, that inmate is in La Victoria under judicial order. It was a judge who determined that he should be in La Victoria and I myself have seen and I have that sentence in my hands. It’s where he (Castro) should be according to what a judge ruled and you have to respect the judges,” said Rodríguez.

He added that the Justice Ministry has contacted “Mrs. Ortega and can count on us to investigate the details of that threat and give her our full support.”