After more than eight months of talks, the commission made up of different sectors of journalism, civil society, businessmen, government and jurists, reached a agreement around the points to reform of Law 1-24, which created the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI), which was alleged to violate freedom of expression.
In one plenary held at the headquarters of the ListÃn Diario newspaper, in the Miraflores sector of the National District, the president of the Dominican Society of Newspapers (SDD), Persio Maldonado, said that a version has been built that allows correcting the ambiguities of the regulations.
“This afternoon we met here after a long day of work with the commission of lawyers, to inform you that we have finally reached an agreement agreement to subject him to Can Executive a proposal of change “to the law that creates the DNI,” were Maldonado’s introductory words.
The modifications to the law current will be about the articles 1, 2, 9, 11 and 26.
The piece, which came into force last January, has been questioned for allegedly violating articles 44, 49, and 69 of the Magna Carta, which enshrines rights to privacy and honor, freedom of expression and information, among other points.
The president of the SDD indicated that the settings carried out will satisfy the concerns that arose in each of the sectors represented in the commissionso these reforms seek to build a version of the piece much closer to the Constitution of the Republic.
Can Executive
The legal advisor of the Can Executive, Antoliano Peraltasaid the president of the Republic and the Can Executive is keeping its word to accept the suggestions of this commission to seek a constitutional solution to the law creating the DNI.
“As I said on the first day, we are pushing for this law with the conviction that it is in accordance with the constitutional framework, but if there is a hint that this can be improved and made more precise, we are willing to accept that and that is what we are doing here this afternoon,” the official said.
At the meeting, the commission of about four lawyers gave up his report with the settings in place in those provisions that suggested that the actions of the National Intelligence Directorate should be preceded by judicial authorization.
Given this and other points, the Government has been shown to agreementso in the upcoming days will be depositing the modifications to the law before the legislative chambers of the National Congress so that the suggested reforms can be submitted, confirmed Peralta.
“There is one aspect that I know is of particular concern to journalists, which is the issue of the source, which is why it is clearly established that the secrets of the journalistic source must be respected.”Legal advisor to the Executive Branch
The commissioners left open the monitoring of this law, once it is deposited in the National Congress, so that no changes occur that could violate the Constitution of the Republic.
Present in the plenary
The meeting was headed by the president of the Dominican Society of Newspapers (SDD), Persio Maldonado, with the presence of Antoliano Peraltalegal advisor of the Can Executive.
AnÃbal de Castro, vice president of the SDD; Luis Soto, director of the DNI; Manuel Tapia López, treasurer and legal advisor of the journalistic entity.
Also present were Pablo Ulloa, Ombudsman; Servio Tulio Castaños, Executive Vice President of the Institutionalism and Justice Foundation (Finjus) and César Dargam, Vice President of the National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep), among others.
