Dominican Republic Govt. ‘intimidates the press’

Santo Domingo.- Freedom of expression is one of the rights guaranteed by the Dominican Constitution, based on this responsibility, the media express their points of view on the different day-to-day issues.

The United States Department of State on Wed. published a report on respect for human rights in which it indicates that Dominican laws provide the freedom to “criticize the government publicly and privately without fear of reprisal. Despite this, during 2019 the nation was witness to several incidents that “intimidated the press,” the report cites.

In September last year the TV program of a Dominican journalist was suspended after revealing an investigation where the sister of the Attorney General allegedly received government contracts for around RD$750 million (US$14.1 million), after which said journalist (whose name is omitted in the report) alleged that his program was canceled for the fact.

The American civil liberties report cites that “journalists and others working in the media were occasionally harassed or physically attacked. Some media reported that journalists, specifically in rural areas, received threats for investigating or reporting criminal groups or official corruption.”