Dominican Republic: The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) including its origins and current leadership; any reports of harassment of its members/supporters during the 2000 presidential election up to the present by members of the Dominican Reform Party (PRD) (2000-2002)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 22 April 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | dom38722.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Dominican Republic: The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) including its origins and current leadership; any reports of harassment of its members/supporters during the 2000 presidential election up to the present by members of the Dominican Reform Party (PRD) (2000-2002) , 22 April 2002, dom38722.E , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be2a34.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Former president Leonel Fernandez Reyna currently heads the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) (Political Handbook of the World 1999, 285). The party was reportedly established in 1973 by the late former president Juan Bosch as a separate party from the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), which he founded in 1939 (Latinamerica Press 19 Nov. 2001). However, the Political Handbook of the World states that Bosch established the PLd during the 1974 campaign (1999, 284).
Bosch was elected president in 1963 but was reportedly overthrown shortly after (Latinamerica Press 19 Nov. 2001). He ran as PLD's presidential candidate in both the 1978 and 1982 elections without success (Political Handbook of the World 1999, 284). "In March 1991, Bosch stepped down as PLD leader and withdrew from party membership to protest deep-rooted animosity between right- and left-wing factions" (ibid., 285). However, "in response to appeals from his colleagues," Bosch reversed his position two weeks after his resignation (ibid.). "With the support of the right-wing Progressive National Force (Fuerza Nacional Progresista-FNP), headed by Marino Vinicio (Vincho) Castillo," Bosch "ran a distant third in the presidential balloting of
16 May 1994," and on 19 June 2000, he "announced his resignation as PLD president" (ibid.). The PLD party reportedly came to power with the election of President Leonel Fernandez (1996-2000) (Latinamerica Press 19 Nov. 2001).
During protests against electricity blackouts in the cities of Salcedo and Tenares, two demonstrators were reportedly killed by the police (Weekly News Update on the Americas 22 Apr. 2001). As the protests reportedly intensified, the army was "sent in to support the police" (ibid.). During home raids in search in for demonstrators, dozens of people were reportedly arrested and "police also searched the homes of several leaders of the opposition Dominican Liberation Party (PLD)" (ibid.).
In November 2000, former president Leonel Fernandez Reyna "was taken to a medical centre [on] 25 November after being tear gassed, along with a number of other former officials, by police agents as he tried to enter the Attorney General's Office ... asking to be arrested as a protest against the arrests, on corruption charges, of 13 former PLD officials by the government of Hipolito Mejia" (ibid.).
On 23 and 24 November 2000, the Attorney General's Office (PRG) "had four former cabinet members arrested ... on charges of embezzlement, fraud, illicit association, robbery, falsifying of documents and prevarication, allegedly comitted during the government of ex-president Leonel Fernandez Reyna" (ibid., 10 Dec. 2000). Incidents of arrests, house searches, and charges of corruption and embezzlement of close associates of former PLD president Fernandez took place following the accession to power of the PRD government headed by President Mejia (Latinamerica Press 14 Jan. 2002, ibid.; 22 Jan. 2001).
On 5 December 2000, anti-corruption attorney Tomas Castro reportedly "filed a complaint with the Corruption Prevention Department against Fernández and former Public Works Secretary Diandino Pena for padding road-construction contracts" (Latinamerica Press 22 Jan. 2001). Fernandez's close associates including the director of the Public Works Coordinating Office, Felix Bautista, and Luis Inchausti, a personal advisior to Fernandez and director of the defunct Minimum Employment Program (PEME), were reportedly arrested for embezzlement (ibid.; Weekly News Update 10 Dec. 2000). However, "after months of investigation, the Attorney General's Office has decided not to indict former President Leonel Fernandez (1996-2000) on charges stemming from a multimillion-dollar fraud" (Latinamerica Press 14 Jan. 2002). "Several former officials in the Fernandez administration are under arrest in connection with the case" (ibid.).
Two local leaders of the PLD were reportedly shot dead by the bodyguards of Mejia, the candidate of the PRD, in the city of Moca on 29 April 2000 during a campaign event for the 16 May 2000 presidential election (Weekly News Update on the Americas 8 May 2000). According to the campaign manager for the PLD, who denied that the bodyguards had shot back in self-defense, PRD members also entered the house of one of the dead men and reportedly "beat up his wife and one of his sons" (ibid.). Country Reports 2000 corroborates the Moca incident (Mar. 2001, 2543).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000 . March 2001. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. United States Government Printing Office.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 14 January 2002. No. 1. n.a. "Former Leader Implicated in Corruption."
_____. 22 January 2001. "Dominican Republic: Tackling Corruption, Economy."
_____. 19 November 2001. Vol. 33, No. 41-42. "Dominican Republic Former President
Dies." (NEXIS)
The Political Handbook of the World 1999. 1999. Edited by Arthur S. Banks. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.
Weekly News Update on the Americas . 22 April 2001. "Dominican Republic: Two Killed in Protests." (NEXIS)
_____. 10 December 2000. "Ex-President Paid Off Protesters." (NEXIS)
_____. 26 November 2000. "In Other News." (NEXIS)
_____. 8 May 2000. "Two Die in Dominican Electoral Violence." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
LEXIS/NEXIS
Oral sources
Resource Centre. Country File
Keesing's Record of World Events
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
Search engines including: