HOLY SUNDAY. – Following accusations of racism linked to the case of the Stephora girl, President Luis Abinader affirmed that the Dominican Republic is a largely mixed-race country and that there is no climate of racism in the nation.
“This is not a racist country; we are more than 85% a mestizo country and there has never been that situation,” said the president.
Abinader emphasized that the fundamental thing is to allow the Public Ministry to carry out the corresponding investigations and make decisions in accordance with the law.
Likewise, he described the case as a regrettable situation and reiterated that any official action must be carried out regardless of skin color or nationality of the people involved.
In that sense, a judge from the Judicial Office of Permanent Care Services of Santiago set for this Tuesday the hearing where the request for a measure of coercion will be heard against four members of the Leonardo Da Vinci Institute, accused of involuntary manslaughter to the detriment of Stephora Anne-Mircie Joseph, who died at Hacienda Los Caballos, in Gurabo, during a school excursion organized by the educational center.
The accused are Yris del Carmen Reyes Adames, administrative director; Gisela Altagracia de las Mercedes González Estrella, general coordinator and advisor to the management team; Francisca Josefina Tavárez Vélez, counselor; and Vilma Altagracia Vargas Morel, secondary level coordinator.
The Public Ministry requested coercive measures the payment of a economic guarantee of 50 million Dominican pesos through an insurance company, impediment to leaving the country, periodic presentations and the placement of electronic location devices.
On his side, the Haiti Transitional Council Last Friday, he requested transparency and diligence in the investigations to clarify the circumstances of the minor’s death.
Through a statement published on its X account (formerly Twitter), the organization reaffirmed its commitment to fundamental rights, procedural guarantees and human dignity.
The Haitian Transition Council also expressed its concern about alleged cases of violence and “treatment that violates the dignity of thousands of Haitian migrants and families of Haitian origin” in recent months, stressing that these situations require responsible and coordinated responses, respecting the sovereignty of both States.
