Merits trial against Army officer for gender-based violence and human trafficking
The Collegiate Court of San Pedro de Macorís is scheduled to begin the trial on the merits this Friday against Dominican Army Lieutenant Orlando Ramírez Medina. The officer faces serious charges from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which accuses him of crimes of gender-based violence and aggravated human trafficking against a Venezuelan citizen.
According to the indictment, Ramírez Medina contacted Mildred Alexandra Rivas Felizola through social media, persuading her to move to Dominican territory along with her minor son under the promise of better living conditions and employment. Once in the country, the accused allegedly initiated a cycle of labor and sexual exploitation, in addition to subjecting the victim to constant physical assaults.
Details of the accusation and the modus operandi
- Recruitment and control: The military officer allegedly withheld the victim’s passport, threatening her with deportation to force her into non-consensual sexual relations.
- Isolation: Ramírez Medina exercised total control over the woman’s movements and communications, even keeping her locked in his residence along with her son.
- Victim’s condition: Reports from the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) confirmed that Rivas Felizola suffers from severe depression, insomnia, and anxiety resulting from the abuse.
In the last recorded assault, the victim presented contusions, trauma to the skull, thorax, and extremities, as well as multiple abrasions and the loss of fingernails, as certified by the forensic doctor.
A complex judicial process
The case has generated special attention from human rights organizations, who express concern regarding the influence and economic power that the accused maintains in the jurisdiction of San Pedro de Macorís. The vulnerability of the victim, being a foreign migrant, has been pointed out as an aggravating factor in the power dynamic exercised by the military officer.
Although the Public Prosecutor’s Office filed the indictment in 2022, the process has suffered multiple postponements. Recently, the collegiate court recused itself in full from hearing the case, delegating the responsibility to new magistrates. If found guilty, Ramírez Medina could face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, considering his military rank and the severity of the criminal charges, which include violations of the Penal Code and Law 137-03 on human trafficking.
