Amnesty International Report 1999 - Dominican Republic

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

There were further reports of torture and ill-treatment of Haitian immigrants. One person who "disappeared" in 1994 remained unaccounted for. At least six people were shot dead and many others wounded allegedly by police using lethal force unlawfully.

In January the authorities announced the possible creation of an internal affairs department to investigate human rights violations by the police. The Senate discussed the creation of a Human Rights Procurator to investigate violations and an Ombudsman's office to receive citizens' complaints about human rights violations. None of these initiatives had been implemented by the end of the year.

The opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party won the legislative elections held in May.

In September President Leonel Fernández Reyna dismissed the Head of the National Drugs Control Office, reportedly for carrying out and permitting human rights violations against detainees. Several hundred policemen were also dismissed for serious misconduct. However, it was not clear how many were accused of human rights violations.

Some 700 people were detained for short periods during the year, mainly during protests and strikes about various economic and social issues.

There were further reports of torture, including rape, and ill-treatment of Haitian immigrants by Dominican soldiers during round-ups for deportation. In August immigration officials and soldiers reportedly raped several women, including a 14-year-old girl, at a sugar-cane work camp. In November, in two separate incidents, two Haitians were shot dead by Dominican soldiers as they tried to escape deportation. Thousands of Haitian immigrants were repatriated throughout the year, including some living in the country legally. Haitians were often deported without their residence papers being verified, in contravention of their rights.

No investigation was known to have been opened into the alleged torture and ill-treatment of Danilo de la Cruz and Kennedy Vargas in November 1997 (see Amnesty International Report 1998).

Several military and police officers, including the then Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, were briefly detained for questioning in connection with the "disappearance" in May 1994 of Narciso González. The judicial investigation had not concluded by the end of the year (see previous Amnesty International Reports).

At least six people were killed and many others injured by the security forces in circumstances in which excessive force appeared to have been employed, mainly in the context of demonstrations or in disputed circumstances. In March, 17-year-old Gabriel Corporán Reyes was reportedly shot in the back by police during a protest in Villa Mella, Santo Domingo. He died shortly after arriving at a clinic. In July Franklin Fabián, a student of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, was reportedly shot dead by police officers during a student demonstration. According to reports, he was putting away his stall where he had been selling goods at the time. Three police officers accused of killing Franklin Fabián were reportedly tried by a police tribunal, but the outcome was not known. In August a priest, José Tineo Núñez, was shot dead by police while he waited in front of the offices of the Misioneros del Sagrado Corazón, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, in Santo Domingo. Witnesses claimed that the policeman opened fire without identifying himself to the victim or making any attempt to arrest him. A police investigation reportedly concluded that the police had acted with negligence and carelessness. The officers implicated in the shooting were awaiting trial by court martial at the end of the year.

There was no further information about the killing by police of Manuel Mancebo and Ilex Actoin in 1997 (see Amnesty International Report 1998).

In November the trial began of six former military officers accused of killing journalist Orlando Martínez Howley in 1975 after he criticized the then President, Joaquín Balaguer. All had been imprisoned for almost a year, apart from one former member of the armed forces who was arrested in New York, USA, in November. President Fernández Reyna authorized the Attorney General to request his extradition to face charges. The judicial investigation, which had called more than 100 witnesses, including Joaquín Balaguer, had not been concluded by the end of the year.

Amnesty International continued to call for a thorough and independent investigation into the "disappearance" of Narciso González. The organization also urged the authorities to conduct full and impartial investigations into several cases of people shot dead by police and into allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Haitians.