NewsWhore
08-31-2010, 07:10 PM
A recent documentary in the BBC World Service focuses on what it calls "statelessness" of Haitians born in the Dominican Republic. The report says that thousands of people of Haitian descent are suffering systematic discrimination by authorities for being denied of their claims to Dominican nationality. International lawyers and non-governmental organizations lobby on behalf of the Haitians that seek Dominican nationality.
The Dominican Constitution and the Supreme Court of Justice have ruled that Dominican nationality is not granted on birth to those born to parents without legal status in the DR. In practice, over the years, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been able to obtain their Dominican citizenship through various means and the Dominican government has been lax in applying the law.
The Haitian Constitution establishes that babies born to Haitian parents are Haitians regardless where they are born, but the Haitian Consulate has also been negligent in honoring this constitutional prerogative.
Making matters more difficult, most Haitians that enter the Dominican Republic do not have identification papers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0099v89
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
The Dominican Constitution and the Supreme Court of Justice have ruled that Dominican nationality is not granted on birth to those born to parents without legal status in the DR. In practice, over the years, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been able to obtain their Dominican citizenship through various means and the Dominican government has been lax in applying the law.
The Haitian Constitution establishes that babies born to Haitian parents are Haitians regardless where they are born, but the Haitian Consulate has also been negligent in honoring this constitutional prerogative.
Making matters more difficult, most Haitians that enter the Dominican Republic do not have identification papers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0099v89
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)