NewsWhore
01-16-2009, 06:50 PM
Police Chief Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin is once again expressing support for his officers in the wake of Sergio Sarita Valdez coroner's report that says that five men shot and killed last week in the Mirador Sur Park area could have been executed by police officers. The coroner based his conclusions on the gunshot wounds. Guzman also denied being aware of statistics released by the Human Rights Defense Commission that says that 70% of homicides in the DR are committed by police officers. "I respect those opinions, we are completely open to, in a transparent manner, to any type of exam. We are respectful of citizens' rights, respectful of human rights and we work within the institutional and constitutional rules." However, Guzman explained that the police have a job to do which is "to protect citizens from threats and risks posed by those who don't believe in society."
In related news, a commission set up to investigate the circumstances of the shootings in the Mirador Park has recommended that nine officers should be sent to trial for their role in the shootings. Santo Domingo District Attorney Alejandro Moscoso Segarra said that the police officers would receive word on the legal restraints within 48 hours. The charges against the officers came after an investigation showed that their accounts of the shootings did not fit the findings of the coroner's report. Manuel Mercedes, head of the National Human Rights Commission, welcomed the decision to investigate the officers as an indication that the Chief of Police will not endorse impunity in his ranks.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)
In related news, a commission set up to investigate the circumstances of the shootings in the Mirador Park has recommended that nine officers should be sent to trial for their role in the shootings. Santo Domingo District Attorney Alejandro Moscoso Segarra said that the police officers would receive word on the legal restraints within 48 hours. The charges against the officers came after an investigation showed that their accounts of the shootings did not fit the findings of the coroner's report. Manuel Mercedes, head of the National Human Rights Commission, welcomed the decision to investigate the officers as an indication that the Chief of Police will not endorse impunity in his ranks.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)