Rafael Antonio Guerrero Méndez arrested on defamation charges

Santo Domingo.- Broadcaster Rafael Antonio Guerrero Méndez, host of the YouTube program Corrupción al Desnudo, was arrested Wednesday morning and taken in handcuffs to the Ciudad Nueva Palace of Justice in Santo Domingo. His arrest was carried out under Order No. 0801-2025, issued by the Fourth Chamber of the National District Criminal Court, to ensure his attendance at a hearing scheduled for Thursday at 9:00 a.m.

Guerrero Méndez also faced a contempt order from the Eighth Chamber for failing to appear at a previous trial. However, that ruling was lifted on Wednesday, and a new hearing was set for October 1. In addition, he was summoned by the National District Attorney’s Office to respond to fresh allegations presented by the Legal Advisory Office of the State Sugar Council (CEA).

The journalist has previously faced legal battles for his reporting. He was sentenced to three months in prison for defamation and libel in a case filed by former National Police chief Rafael Guillermo Guzmán Fermín. That conviction was later overturned by the Third Criminal Chamber of the National District Court of Appeals, which acquitted him.