CARICOM “Concerned” Over Citizenship Ruling in Dominican Republic

By: - October 17th, 2013

Above: the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Caribbean Community issued a statement Thursday expressing concern over the recent citizenship ruling in the Dominican Republic that could leave hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent without a nationality.

It was the first major pronouncement from CARICOM since the ruling earlier this month. It followed a similar statement by the government of Guyana earlier this week.

“The Caribbean Community notes with regret that the decision goes against pronouncements of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which has repeatedly called on the Dominican Republic to adopt measures to guarantee the right to nationality in the country and to adapt its immigration laws and practices in accordance with the provisions of the American Convention on Human Rights,” CARICOM said in the statement.

The ruling, made by the Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court, could impact more than 200,000 Dominican-born people of Haitian descent.

CARICOM said it was particularly concerned about the humanitarian implication of the judgment.

“The implications of tens of thousands of persons being plunged into a constitutional, legal and administrative vacuum by the ruling are a source of deep distress to those affected and one of significant disquiet for our community,” the regional body said.

CARICOM said it called on the Dominican Republic to “adopt measures to protect the human rights and interests of those made vulnerable by this ruling and its grievous effects.”

Dominican Republic

Puerto Plata Tourism "Is Re-emerging"

Above: Luis Liriano, Jakaira Cid ,Fausto Fernandez, Anny Mariel Gomez and Maximo Iglesias By the Caribbean Journal staff PUERTO PLATA — Earlier this year, the Dominican Republic announced its plan to “relaunch” the destination of Puerto Plata. For now, the plan seems to be heading in the “right direction,” according to Fausto Fernandez, Deputy Minister […]

Dominican Republic

Grenada Expecting "Significant Reduction" in Debt Size, Payments

Above: Grenada By the Caribbean Journal staff Grenada expects “significant reductions” in both the size of the country’s debt and its debt payments, Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell announced this week. Mitchell made the announcement in New York following a series of meetings with international organizations in Washington, including the Organization of American States and […]

Dominican Republic

Bahamas and China Sign $13 Million Cooperation Agreement

Above: the signing ceremony in Nassau (BIS Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Bahamas and China have signed an economic and technical cooperation agreement. The grant agreement was signed by Bahamian Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell and Chinese Ambassador to the Bahamas Hu Shan on in a ceremony at the House of Assembly on Thursday. […]

Martinique Eyes 1 Million Visitors By 2020

 Above: Martinique Tourism Commissioner Karine Roy-Camille By Alexander Britell It’s now been a year since Martinique Tourism Commissioner Karine Roy-Camille addressed the media at the CTO’s State of the Industry Conference in St Kitts. At the time, she was a relative unknown outside of the French Caribbean. In a short time, however, she’s become one […]

Anguilla's Malliouhana Hotel & Spa Targets Early 2014 Opening

 Above: the Malliouhana Hotel & Spa By the Caribbean Journal staff Auberge Resorts expects to open most of the renovated Malliouhana Hotel & Spa in Anguilla by February 2014, Anguilla’s Tourist Board announced at a briefing at the CTO State of the Industry Conference in Martinique. The project includes a full-scale renovation of Malliouhana’s 55 […]

"It Is Sink or Swim For the Caribbean"

 Above: Martinique Tourism Commissioner Karine Roy-Camille By Alexander Britell It’s now been a year since Martinique Tourism Commissioner Karine Roy-Camille addressed the media at the CTO’s State of the Industry Conference in St Kitts. At the time, she was a relative unknown outside of the French Caribbean. In a short time, however, she’s become one […]

Guyana Expresses "Deep Concern" Over Dominican Republic Citizenship Ruling

 Above: Haiti Foreign Minister Pierre Richard Casimir and Guyana Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett By the Caribbean Journal staff Guyana is expressing its “deep concern” over the recent ruling by the Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court that could strip hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent of their citizenship. The country’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement […]