Black mark for freedom of the press in the Dominican Republic, says Reporters Without Borders

The President of the Dominican School of Journalists (CDP), Aurelio Henríquez, described yesterday the sentence imposed by a Nagua judge on journalist Johnny Alberto Salazar of six months in prison and payment of one million pesos in fine, as a serious attack against the exercise of journalism in a democratic society.

Henríquez said that the decision violates the right to freedom of expression and dissemination of thought and that this sentence "has no legal basis or justification".

"The Court did not even present a single fact endorsing the accusation of defamation and libel made by the leader of Miuca, lawyer Pedro Baldera, who has teamed up with the worst economic and political interests of Nagua to conspire against an honest and responsible journalist, like Johnny Alberto Salazar", he added.

EFE reported that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described as "dangerous and disproportionate" the sentence of six months in prison and a fine against journalist Johnny Alberto Salazar, director of Nagua community radio station, "Vida FM".

“Whatever the truth of the offending statements, we believe this is a dangerous sentence that is disproportionate in itself and at odds with the American Convention on Human Rights in whose name no one should be jailed for what they say or write,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

“We should like to believe that the appeal judge will be able to assess the danger caused by the legal precedent, not only for Johnny Alberto Salazar but also for the whole of the profession in the country.”

“This sentence is a black mark for press freedom in the Dominican Republic,” Salazar told Reporters Without Borders.

Salazar, was ordered to pay one million pesos ($25,600 or € 19.700), was convicted January 18 for statements made regarding the lawyer Pedro Baldera, who is President of the Human Rights Committee of the María Trinidad Sánchez province (northeast). According to Salazar, the agency that presides over Baldera "protected" criminals and persons connected with organized crime .

The Chairman of the CDP speaking to the press in the company of Salazar, father Rogelio Cruz, Alex Jimenez, director of the newspaper Primicias, and Altagracia Salazar, said that "neither journalists nor society can allow that this violation of freedom of the press to materialize". 

Johnny Alberto Salazar said that "a spurious alliance of politicians and the leader of Miuca, Pedro Baldera used the stratagem of the charge of defamation and slander to try to invalidate our quality of councilmen".

"They have not been able to achieve this, but they won a court ruling that will lead us to prison, something for which we are ready," he stressed.

"It is possible that Judge Selma Bonilla's judgement is in the right, but for some reason the judge did not allow the media access to the Court and in conclusion ruled against us. Perhaps the judge did not want to face the weight of the press before making her decision", he said.

2 related news articles

Government says it guarantees freedom of expression: Sep 1 2011

Freedom of press in the Dominican Republic?: Mar 10 2011

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