Committee to Protect Journalists - Dominican Republic

CPJ urges OAS not to weaken human rights system

2013-03-18T16:40:37Z

Dear OAS Ministers of Foreign Affairs: Ahead of the assembly of the Organization of American States on Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists urges you to oppose any attempts to debilitate the regional human rights system. The failure of member states to preserve the autonomy and independence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and its special rapporteur on freedom of expression would make citizens throughout the hemisphere more vulnerable to human rights violations and represent a blow to democracy in the Americas.

Dominican Republic: Journalist given six months in jail

2012-01-31T20:26:54Z

New York, January 31, 2012--The six-month jail sentence of Dominican journalist Johnny Alberto Salazar, who was convicted of defaming a local lawyer on January 18, should be revoked on appeal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Critical journalist murdered in Dominican Republic

2011-08-03T20:26:21Z

New York, August 3, 2011--The body of José Agustín Silvestre, a critical Dominican journalist who ran a magazine and hosted a television program, was found Tuesday morning shortly after he was seized by gunmen in the southeastern city of La Romana, according to local press reports.

Dominican police, firing pellets, wound reporter

2011-02-02T18:55:51Z

New York, February 2, 2011--Dominican police wounded journalist Francisco Frías Morel on Friday as he was covering a funeral procession for a youth killed in a police shooting in the northeastern city of Nagua, according to news reports and CPJ interviews. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and to hold those responsible to account.

Attacks on the Press in 2008: Americas Developments

2009-02-10T05:52:00Z

Cameraman who covered crime shot dead

2008-08-08T16:00:00Z

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

New York, August 8, 2008—Unidentified individuals shot and killed Dominican journalist Normando García Thursday evening in the city of Santiago, 102 miles (163 kilometers) north of the capital, Santo Domingo. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating whether García’s murder is linked to his journalistic work.

At around 6:40 p.m., García, a cameraman for the daily news program “Detrás de la Noticia” (Behind the News) and producer of the music program “Pachanga Mix” on television station Teleunión, was dropping his car at a car wash when multiple gunshots were fired from a moving car, according to local news reports.

Attacks on the Press 2007: Americas Snapshots

2008-02-05T16:58:00Z

Attacks & developments throughout the region

Police beat and threaten journalist

2007-11-24T17:00:00Z

November 24, 2007
Posted January 10, 2008

Noel Encarnación, Freelance, Despierta Ocoa
ATTACKED, THREATENED

Police attacked and threatened Encarnación, a freelance photographer and reporter for the radio news show "Despierta Ocoa" (Wake up Ocoa) on local state-owned radio Maniel FM, after he photographed victims of Hurricane Noel in the province of San José de Ocoa in central Dominican Republic, the reporter told CPJ.

Journalist threatened after corruption report

2007-06-11T16:00:00Z

JUNE 11, 2007
Posted June 26, 2007

Erica Guzmán, Hoy and Radio Popular
THREATENED

Guzmán, correspondent in the eastern city of Samaná for the national daily Hoy and the national station Radio Popular, told CPJ that her daughter received two anonymous calls threatening the journalist and her family with death after she reported on a local corruption scandal.

Dominican court sentences man to 30 years in journalist’s murderer

2007-03-12T04:00:00Z

New York, May 3, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Wednesday’s decision by a Dominican court to sentence a gang leader to 30 years in prison for the 2004 murder of local journalist Juan Emilio Andújar Matos.

A court in Azua also ordered Vladimir Pujols, leader of the drug trafficking gang “Los Sayayines,” to pay 1,300,000 pesos (US$40,945) to radio reporter Jorge Luis Sención, who witnessed the attack and was shot during a second ambush. Pujols’ lawyers told local reporters that he would appeal his conviction, according to Dominican press reports.

Attacks on the Press 2006: Americas Snapshots

2007-02-05T16:51:00Z

Attacks & developments throughout the region

Columnist threatened after corruption reports

2006-12-20T17:00:00Z

DECEMBER 20, 2006
Posted: January 12, 2007
Julián Herrera, Clave and Clave Digital
THREATENED

Herrera, a columnist who covers the armed forces for the Santo Domingo-based weekly Clave and the Internet daily Clave Digital, said in an interview with CPJ that he has been threatened and followed by unidentified individuals after reporting on corruption in the Dominican armed forces.

Three journalists convicted of criminal defamation

2006-07-27T16:00:00Z

JULY 27, 2006
Posted August 8, 2006

Anaylis Cañizales, “Los dueños del circo”
Enrique Crespo, “Los dueños del circo”
Alí David Demey, “Los dueños del circo”
LEGAL ACTION

A Santo Domingo judge found Cañizales, Crespo, and Demey guilty of criminal defamation, after charges were brought in June by the Association of Art Reporters (Acroarte). The journalists were sentenced to 15 days in jail each. Crespo and Demey were fined 4 million Dominican pesos (US$121,000), and Cañizales was fined 2 million Dominican pesos (US$60,500).

Journalist abducted

2006-03-09T17:00:00Z

New York, March 9, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the abduction and attempted murder of a Dominican crime reporter early Wednesday morning. Unidentified assailants seized Roberto Sandoval outside his Santo Domingo home and threatened to kill him, according to news reports and a CPJ source. Sandoval escaped by jumping from a moving vehicle as his attackers fired at him.

The journalist hosts two daily programs in the capital, Santo Domingo: “Tribuna de la Noche” on Radio Comercial, and “Justo a Tiempo” on local cable television. Sandoval often reports on crime and is critical of Dominican law enforcement, colleague Ruddy Germán Pérez told CPJ.

CPJ Update

2005-12-16T05:00:00Z

CPJ Update
December 16, 2005
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists

Return to front page | See previous Updates