Somos un ejercicio cívico y pacífico, pero contundente para ponerle fin a la impunidad que se ha instado en el Estado.#MarchaVerde pic.twitter.com/p9Je59huvO
— #MarchaVerdeOficial (@CeroImpunidadRD) October 30, 2017
Peaceful Assembly
Over the past few months, Movimiento Marcha Verde (Green March Movement) carried out mobilisations in various parts of the country.
On 27th August 2017, for example, members of Marcha Verde gathered in Sánchez Ramírez and Barahona provinces and announced the beginning of a process of public consultations and strategic planning to define the next steps in their efforts to combat impunity in corruption cases.
In addition, on 17th September 2017, during a demonstration in La Vega province, Marcha Verde called on citizens to prolong the struggle to end impunity and ensure that all political representatives involved in corruption are brought to justice. The group also demanded the immediate publication of an audit of the previous municipal administration, including information on the management of mining funds within the province.
At the time of writing, Marcha Verde continues to plan activities and demonstrations throughout October. On 29th October 2017, the National Day of Mobilisation (Green Day) was celebrated, starting in Santo Domingo. Dozens of demonstrations took place in different cities around the country and in others countries as well.
Gobierno respode a las críticas de la Sociedad Dominicana de Diarios https://t.co/xntzAldZb7 #acentodiario
— acento.com.do (@acentodiario) October 25, 2017
Expression
Sociedad Dominicana de Diarios (Dominican Newspaper Society - SDD) has publicly expressed concern over a "trend" among top officials who "prefer press releases" over questions from journalists, thereby avoiding press conferences. The SDD press release also denounced "cases of abuse" against media workers when they have tried to approach President Danilo Medina with questions. In addition, security officers protecting Medina "keep the journalists away from the President". Throughout Medina´s tenure, there have been constant complaints about his lack of communication with media and journalists.
The government's response to the above-mentioned allegations included a report from the Directorate of Information, Analysis and Strategic Programming, which states that between 2nd January and 20th October 2017, ministers, vice ministers and directors have participated in 950 interviews in newspapers, radio and television. The report also noted the observations and suggestions from the SDD, noting that at the 72nd meeting of the Inter American Press Association, the Dominican Republic was recognised "for having made progress in the fight for freedom of expression and protection of media".