DR is among the countries that respected freedom of the press

The Dominican Republic is among the countries with the best rankings according to the “Chapultepec Index of Freedom of Expression and the Press,” an annual measure that identifies actions in the field for countries in the American hemisphere.

According to the second edition of the Index published by the American Press Association (IAPA), the Dominican Republic is one of the countries with “low restrictions on press freedom”. This category includes Jamaica, Canada, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, the United States and Honduras.

The report covers the period between July 31, 2020 and August 1, 2021, so for the country it does not include what happened at the Vehicle Detention Center of the General Directorate of Traffic Safety and Road Transport (Digesett) of the National Police, which was installed. At the old El Coco Greyhound track, where members of the ombudsman’s office and the press were attacked by members of Digesett, when they attempted an inspection in the face of complaints about the way the dog’s track is being run. In this case, Dog Track agents seized this newspaper’s camera and cell phone, as well as damaged CDN equipment.

Nor was it taken into account that a bill was approved in the Senate regulating the exercise of the right to privacy, honor, personal reputation and private image, introduced by the ruling senator for Bahruko, Melania Salvador, popularly baptized as the “gag law”, which would force Journalists have to submit their information about people for consideration, in a priori censorship exercised only in dictatorial regimes.

The association itself has expressed concern about several bills in the Dominican Republic that insist on the criminal nature of defamation, including in cyberspace, and over-protect leaders from criticism.

According to the union, the situation has a curbing effect on press freedom and journalistic work.

Through a statement, the association criticized that the reform of the Dominican penal code punishes with imprisonment for crimes committed against the president, ministers, legislators and diplomatic representatives, claiming that the measure goes against international standards that promote the elimination of the crime of contempt. Privileges of the authorities over the citizens.

Both factors could influence the Dominican Republic’s result for the next edition of the Federation’s Report.

Eligible
without freedom.
Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela were repeated as the worst-rated countries in the “without press freedom” category.

attacks.
Carlos Jornet, chair of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and the Media, said that suppression of freedom of the press and expression “intensified in Nicaragua and Cuba” through “persecution and attacks on journalists”.