Spanish
Santo Domingo.- The United States Department of State prepared a report on human rights practices in 2021 at the beginning of the government of President Luis Abinader and cites the lawsuit of deputy Sergio “Gory” Moya against detective Ángel Martínez as an example of how officials apply the law to penalize defamation and insult.
The report containing 6 sections in which it analyzes different cases that occurred in that period where they consider human rights were violated in the Dominican Republic, in section 2 on Respect for Civil Liberties it indicates that in general people and groups were able to criticize the government, although there were incidents in which the authorities intimidated members of the press.
"On February 10, the ruling party legislator Sergio “Gory” Moya filed a lawsuit against private investigator Ángel Martínez, based in Miami, for alleged defamation and libel. In August, a judge issued an arrest warrant against Martínez based on accusations of violating the high-tech crimes law. Moya requested the court to sentence him to one year in prison and demand the payment of 10 million pesos (177,000 dollars) for damages," the report highlights.
In that sense, they pointed out that the law penalizes defamation and insult, with more severe penalties for crimes committed against public or state figures than for crimes against private individuals. Furthermore, the law penalizes defamation for statements relating to the private life of certain public figures, including government officials and foreign heads of state."The concentration of media ownership, weaknesses in the judiciary, and political influence also limited media independence," the State Department notes.
Arrest of Ángel Martínez in DR
Ángel Martínez, based in Miami, was arrested on Monday, May 26th in Puerto Plata due to the lawsuit filed by the deputy Sergio Moya (Goris), from the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) and the political leader Guido Gómez Mazara, for alleged defamation and insult.
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Martínez has pointed to Moya as a drug trafficker
The judge declared Martínez in default and dismissed the proceedings against him until he appears before the court, as the investigator did not appear despite having been legally summoned.
The private criminal action lawsuit against Martínez was filed by the legislator on February 10, 2021, through the special attorneys Frank Reynaldo Fermín and Emmanuel.
