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Organizations Call on Dominican Government to Investigate Attack on Human Rights Defender

9/28/2016Statement

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(Washington DC | September 28th, 2016) Last Sunday September 25, at 7:30 in the evening, Genaro Rincon, a lawyer and activist with the organizations Movimiento Socio-Cultural Para Los Trabajadores Haitianos (MOSCTHA) and Derechos Vigentes was attacked, beaten, and threatened with death on a public bus in Santo Domingo by two individuals after identifying him as a defender of the rights of Dominicans of Haitian descent.

Genaro has worked for two decades to combat discrimination against Dominicans of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic. He has worked with international organizations to submit requests for protective measures for Dominicans of Haitian descent before the Inter-American Commission and Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

The attack on Genaro is an example of the worrying situation Dominicans of Haitian descent and those who advocate on their behalf face in the country. The undersigned organizations express our solidarity with Genaro, and we urge the Dominican government to investigate this attack. Additionally, we demand the government to guarantee the safety of all those who work toward a Dominican Republic free of discriminatory policies and practices.

Organizations
American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
Instituto Caribeño de Derechos Humanos
International Clinic for the Defense of Human Rights, University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada
International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
Santa Clara University International Human Rights Clinic
Oxfam
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)