Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is concerned about the detention of several Dominican journalists who criticized your government. We believe that these detentions were designed to intimidate and harass journalists into censoring themselves and, therefore, jeopardize the Dominican Republic’s reputation as a country that respects press freedom.
Vossa Excelência: O Comitê para a Proteção dos Jornalistas (CPJ) está preocupado com a detenção de vários jornalistas dominicanos que criticaram a gestão presidencial. Tais detenções, que a nosso ver tiveram como objetivo intimidar e perseguir os jornalistas e obriga-los a autocensura, põem em perigo a reputação da República Dominicana como nação onde se respeita a liberdade de imprensa.
New York, June 13, 2003—On Wednesday, June 11, state security officials in the Dominican Republic interrogated journalist Marino Zapete Corniel and accused him of insulting President Hipólito Mejía in a series of recent articles. According to Zapete, at around 6 a.m., four officials from the National Department of Investigations (DNI) and an assistant prosecutor arrived…
Economic and political turmoil throughout Latin America in 2002 had profound implications for the region’s press. Sharp decreases in advertising revenue bankrupted many media outlets, while the failure to consolidate democratic reforms left the media vulnerable to legal and physical assault. Five journalists were killed in Latin America in 2002 for their work.
The Dominican Republic’s media did not face significant restrictions in 2002 under President Hipólito Mejía. However, a bill designed to bring the country’s press laws up to international standards and improve access to information stalled again in the Senate.
The U.S. government took aggressive measures in 2002 to shield some of its activities from press scrutiny. These steps not only reduced access for U.S. reporters but had a global ripple effect, with autocratic leaders citing U.S. government actions to justify repressive policies.
Dominican President Hipólito Mejía has received mixed reviews for his policy toward the press since he took office in August 2000. Although Dominican journalists are generally free to express their views, and the government does not officially restrict the press, journalists have complained of government attempts to influence coverage.
BY EXPOSING CORRUPTION, POLITICAL INTRIGUE, and massive abuse of power, journalists in Peru helped bring down the regime of President Alberto K. Fujimori last year. Fujimori’s dramatic fall demonstrated that the Latin American press remains a key bulwark against leaders who continue to use subtle and not-so subtle means to control the flow of information.…
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC’S VIBRANT PRESS WAS TARNISHED by accusations of biased coverage during the May 16 presidential election. The year also saw a landmark conviction in the murder of a journalist, and a proposed bill to enhance freedom of the press. The ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) lost a three-way race between its own candidate,…