{"id":157373,"date":"2026-09-10T12:15:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/sin-categoria\/controversy-over-new-penal-code-fears-of-censorship-and-60-year-sentences\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:15:55","slug":"controversy-over-new-penal-code-fears-of-censorship-and-60-year-sentences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/national\/controversy-over-new-penal-code-fears-of-censorship-and-60-year-sentences\/","title":{"rendered":"Controversy over new Penal Code: fears of censorship and 60-year sentences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social organizations of the Cibao on alert regarding the new Penal Code<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The recent Dominican Penal Code has generated a wave of concerns in various social sectors of the Cibao region. Popular, feminist, and environmental organizations warn that this legislation could be transformed into a mechanism of social control, limiting fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, journalistic practice, and the right to protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These positions were presented during the panel “New Penal Code: impact on the rights of the people,” held at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), Santiago campus. The event served as a platform to critically analyze how this regulation will affect the most vulnerable citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critical voices regarding the new legislation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Raquel Rivera, a feminist activist and representative of the Hermanas Mirabal movement, questioned the official narrative surrounding the Code. According to Rivera, the debate has focused on the positive aspects of the law, omitting the potential negative consequences for those with fewer resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We must understand what this new Penal Code implies for lower-income sectors, for vulnerable people, and for the general population.<\/p>\nRaquel Rivera, social activist<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Risks to press freedom and the judicial system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Journalist Esteban Rosario was emphatic in pointing out that there are provisions that could act as a “gag” on the media. Rosario called on communicators and journalism students to study the regulations in depth, due to the legal risks they pose even for the digital environment and social networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For his part, jurist Ram\u00f3n Estrella Monchy questioned the toughening of penalties, which reach up to 60 years in prison. For the expert, this measure resembles a “disguised life sentence” and calls into question the effectiveness of the current penitentiary system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Focus on rehabilitation: The lawyer maintains that criminal policy should prioritize social reintegration over excessive punishment.<\/li>\n
  • Social causes: Estrella Monchy emphasized that the State must address the root of the problem, such as lack of employment and exclusion, instead of reducing justice to a matter of incarceration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The non-negotiable defense of protest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    From the Cibao coalition of popular groups, leader Osvaldo Brito described the law as “anti-people” and “anti-democratic.” Brito stressed that the social movement will not allow the criminalization of public protest, a constitutional right they consider vital for democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    We are not going to renounce the legitimate right to protest.<\/p>\nOsvaldo Brito, spokesperson for social organizations<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    With this panel, organizations from the Cibao region kick off a series of analysis and mobilization sessions. The intention is to bring the debate to every corner of the country, ensuring that the impact of the new Penal Code is openly discussed before Dominican society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Social organizations of the Cibao on alert regarding the new Penal Code The recent Dominican Penal Code has generated a wave of concerns in various social sectors of the Cibao region. Popular, feminist, and environmental organizations warn that this legislation could be transformed into a mechanism of social control, limiting fundamental rights such as freedom […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":157374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12809],"tags":[1271,15459,5041,4200],"class_list":{"0":"post-157373","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national","8":"tag-dominican-republic","9":"tag-fundamental-rights","10":"tag-penal-code","11":"tag-protest"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}