OAS human rights group to visit Dominican Republic following citizenship ruling
From Caribbean360
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza said two issues have converged in the case, namely that no one can be deprived of his or her nationality, and, therefore, there is a human rights problem.
WASHINGTON D.C., United States, Wednesday October 30, 2013, CMC – The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, says the organization, through its Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), will visit the Dominican Republic shortly to learn more about the case in which Dominicans of Haitian descent have been stripped of their citizenship.
On Tuesday, the OAS Permanent Council considered, at the request of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic, on September 23, on the legal status of immigrants and their descendants in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country.
Insulza informed the Permanent Council about the conversations he held on the matter with the Foreign Minister of Haiti, the President of the Dominican Republic and the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, among others.
Gonsalves has already written to the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, expressing outrage over the court’s decision.
Insulza said two issues have converged in the case, namely that no one can be deprived of his or her nationality, and, therefore, there is a human rights problem.
“But we also have an institutional problem. The Organization of American States is governed by the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which among other things, institutionalizes the rule of law and respect for the independence of the branches of government.
“And, in this case, there is no doubt that this is a statement that has been issued by a constitutional court of a state under its own domestic law. I think this is best dealt with through the human rights system, and that this issue is properly the responsibility of the Commission and the Court,” Insulza said.
“We will continue to work on this issue with the Inter-American Commission in consultation with the Council doing everything possible, without any actions that would mean a break in dialogue,” he added.
Insulza said this is because “we have to find a solution with the maximum degree of agreement, the maximum degree of openness and the maximum degree of goodwill. That has been and remains the conduct of this organization.”
The Permanent Representative of Haiti to the OAS, Duly Brutus, said his country has expressed its “deepest concerns” about the negative consequences of the decision of the Dominican Constitutional Court, which particularly affects his country, “with a large colony of immigrants in the Dominican Republic”.
The Haitian diplomat described as “truly alarming” the possibility that, as a result of the ruling, many citizens who were Dominicans before the court’s sentence, could find themselves, from one day to the next, stateless.
Brutus called on OAS member states to seek a solution to the problem, adding that the OAS “has been at the forefront when it comes to defending the interests of the voiceless”.
The OAS said Haiti has the “express support” of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) diplomatic corps, whose spokesperson, the Permanent Representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, La Celia Prince,
For more on this story go to:
See also iNews Cayman story October 9, 2013 “Dominican Republic ruling regarding Haitian-origin descendents a worry for Haitians” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/dominican-republic-ruling-regarding-haitian-origin-descendents-a-worry-for-haitians/
