RFK Center urges Dominican government to protect its citizens

(2012-07-14) The RFK Center continues to urge the Dominican government to protect all of its citizens without discrimination of their origin and seriously investigate the alleged cases of denationalization of Dominicans of Haitian descent in contravention of due process guarantees. In keeping with these efforts and the partnership with Movement of Dominican Women of Haitian Descent (MUDHA), the RFK Center supports the amicus curiae brief prepared by the International Human Rights Clinic at Loyola Law School Los Angeles. The amicus curiae brief expresses hope that the Inter-American Court will clarify the scope of particular human rights and also determine whether the Dominican Republic has in fact violated these rights and should be held responsible.

On the night of June 17-18, 2000, soldiers of the Division of Armed Forces of Dominican Republic in charge of surveillance at the Haiti-Dominican Republic border at Guayabin shot at a truck entering Dominican territory, killing seven people and injuring several others. Survivors were detained and subjected to human rights violations. This incident, known as the "the Guayabin Massacre" is now being tried at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica. In the amicus brief the International Human Rights Clinic submits that the Dominican Republic violated the right to life, personal integrity, freedom, equality, and legal-judicial protection among others. Moreover, they argue that the massacre is part of systematic discrimination against people of Haitian origin.

Read the brief in English and Spanish.

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