Santo Domingo.– Lawyer and communicator Eduardo Saint-Hilaire called on citizens to remain vigilant regarding the revision of the Dominican Penal Code, warning that some proposed changes could affect freedom of expression, especially concerning penalties for defamation.
Saint-Hilaire acknowledged the work of the sectors that have participated in the reform process and congratulated the citizenry for remaining active in the debate. However, he pointed out that there are still points that must be reviewed before the final approval of the regulations.
“First, I would like to congratulate all the actors who worked and have worked on this reform of the Gag Law and the Penal Code, but also congratulate the Dominican people. Without you, nothing is possible,” he expressed.
The communicator recalled that a year ago he filed legal actions related to the reform and stated that since then he had warned about some articles that, in his opinion, should be modified.
“We were the first to file an unconstitutionality action regarding this,” stated Saint-Hilaire, while also highlighting his questioning of Article 310, related to the outrage against public officials, and Article 208 regarding defamation.
Referring to this last point, he stated that the proposed modification does not respond to what had been discussed, because, as he explained, it only reduces the jail sentence, but maintains the possibility of imprisonment for defamation.
“What they did in this supposed review that they sent us was not what we discussed. What they did was lower the prison sentence from five years to two years,” he stated.
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Saint-Hilaire maintained that the proposal should focus on economic sanctions for those who engage in defamation and not on prison sentences.
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“What was discussed were fines, economic sanctions for defamation; that the weight of the law falls on the pocket of anyone who defames, but not prison,” he pointed out.
The lawyer also expressed concern about other aspects of the reform, including changes related to the statute of limitations for sexual crimes committed against minors, and requested that the bill be reviewed with greater care.
“We cannot let that goal pass, but we also cannot let what they sent yesterday happen: defamation with jail time,” he expressed.
Saint-Hilaire insisted that the citizenry must remain attentive to the process and not allow provisions that could limit fundamental rights to be approved.
“We are active, we are vigilant, and no one should fall asleep on this issue,” he said, reiterating that freedom of expression must be protected.
Finally, he highlighted that the goal must be to achieve a Penal Code that allows for the sanctioning of excesses without affecting the constitutional right to express oneself freely.
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“Licentiousness is one thing, but free expression must prevail because it is the oxygen of democracy,” he concluded.
