Spanish
This May 30, 2025 marks the 64th anniversary of the assassination of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, the dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic for 31 years with brutality, repression, and a cult of personality.
Today we remember that night of 1961, when a group of patriots snatched power from the one who had turned it into a throne of blood; not only did a man fall, but the hope of a people who had been silenced, persecuted, and humiliated for decades was born.
This day must remain, Dominican Freedom Day. A national symbol that reminds us that no tyranny is eternal when there is will, courage, and collective dignity. That act of justice, driven by Dominicans who risked their lives for the homeland, bequeathed us a historical responsibility: never go back. Never allow fear or absolute power to dominate the word, the truth, or the right to dissent.
Today, six decades later, new threats arise —more subtle, but equally dangerous— against the sacred right to freedom of expression. From proposed laws that seek to regulate, restrict, or condition digital media, to discourses disguised as order that attempt to control the flow of information in the name of “security” or “good morals”, the echoes of authoritarianism have not disappeared: they have simply learned to disguise themselves better.
But digital media, independent platforms, and free journalism are the new sentinels of democracy. Silencing them, censoring them, or tying them up with gag laws is to betray the sacrifice of the men of May 30th, is to deny the right of every citizen to be informed and to express themselves without fear of reprisal.
Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are not negotiable, not limited, not subordinated to political, economic, or religious power. They are fundamental pillars of any real democracy. And when these rights are questioned or threatened, the duty of the citizenry —and of the press— is to raise their voice, remember history, and firmly say: no more silence, no more control, no more dictatorship, of any kind.
Today we pay tribute to the heroes of Trujillo's execution. But we also raise the flag of active vigilance against any attempt to return to the past. The best tribute we can pay to the conquered freedom is to defend it with the same courage with which it was recovered.
