Dominican Republic: ‘stateless’ Haitians, ‘diabolical intent’

Santo Domingo.-  “The position of the Dominican Government is clear and unequivocal, the Government defends Law 169-14 because it was a law proposed by the President of the Republic after a consensus and a consultation with different sectors and that achieved the unanimous support of the Congress.”

Executive Branch legal advisor, Flavio Darío Espinal made the statement to Diario Libre by phone Wed., in response to the editorial earlier that asks the Gov. “to issue clear and unequivocal statements on the topic.”

Espinal called the controversial legislation a fair, balanced and politically viable law, “which is also in accordance with the Constitution and the other norms of the Dominican legal system.”

The official said the Constitutional Court used that legislation for its ruling handed down yearend 2014. “That law has been criticized by some who say that it went too far and by others from another extreme who say that it didn’t go far enough.”

“As a government, the President of the Republic defends the law and has no intention whatsoever to promote any change in the Dominican legal system, nor in matters of nationality, nor in terms of immigration regulation; The Dominican legal system includes the Immigration Law, the constitutional provisions on nationality, ruling 168-13 and Law 169-14,” he said.

He said the Government defends the legal system. “I repeat, there is not the slightest intention to amend this legislation, we have defended and will continue to defend our legal system in international forums, especially Law 169-14, which, as I said, was criticized by both extremes, we have defended it here and outside the country and this is known by international organizations, by the OAS, the UNHCR, the UNDP, the IACHR, by the governments with which we have bilateral relations, and is an invariable position.”

‘Stateless’ Haitians

Constitutional Court ruling 168-13, handed down in 2013, was met with scathing critique by local and international human rights groups because in their view, the legislation stripped the Dominican citizenship of thousands of offspring born in the country, of Haitian immigrants.

‘Diabolical’ intent

Espinal’s statement also comes just days after the following lead of Op-Ed by acentno.com.do:

“The Constitutional Court could be cooking a ludicrous legal step of catastrophic dimensions, and even conspiratorial, in case it is confirmed that what’s occurring within the guardian of the Dominican Constitution is true. It would be a diabolical plot, for the purpose of pestering the government.”