SIP recognizes a freedom of the press climate in the Dominican Republic
The vice president of the Press Freedom Commission of the Inter-American Press Association (SIP) affirmed that the exercise of journalism in the Dominican Republic developed without major setbacks during the October 2020 semester- April 2021, underpinning the existence of a general state of respect for press freedom in the country.
In a report presented to the SIP during the union’s mid-year meeting, the also director of Listín Diario, Miguel Franjul, cited that in that period only one episode of a direct assault on a journalist was recorded in news coverage.
“In October of last year, the journalist Dulce Glorián García Robles suffered bleeding wounds on her face when she was attacked with a revolver by a police officer while she was covering a protest by announcers from the San Pedro de Macorís province”, said the communicator.
The other attempt at coercion –said Franjul- was carried out by the colonel commander of the Boca Chica tourist area police department, Nerys Aguilar, against the producer of the local channel 3, Marcelino Celedonio, and other journalists, by forbidding them to work during a curfew.
He considered that, besides these events, the tone of treatment from the government to the press has so far been one of respect.
The semiannual meeting of the SIP is held from April 21st and 22nd, where world-famous speakers discuss the state of press freedom in 25 countries and discuss the most important issues for the media industry.