[REVISION HISTORY]

Police confrontations and organized crime in DR

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2026-10-28 18:58 UTC → 2026-10-30 17:27 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The Dominican National Police face increasing scrutiny following a surge in fatalities during confrontations with alleged criminals. While National Police Director Maj. Gen. Ernesto Rodríguez García maintains that those killed were repeat offenders, investigations by Diario Libre revealed a discrepancy: of the 182 people killed by police in 2026, only three were on the official wanted list. Interior and Police Minister Faride Raful has stated that these shootouts “do not constitute a state policy,” emphasizing that ongoing reforms prioritize human rights. ~~Between September 1~~ Political opposition has intensified the critique. The Fuerza del Pueblo (FP) party denounced the government’s “mano dura” (iron fist) security policy, claiming it has failed to curb crime and ~~October 25, 2026, at least 98 people were killed~~ has instead increased deaths during interventions. The FP reported approximately 1,152 deaths in incidents described as exchanges of gunfire ~~involving~~ or legal actions between 2020 and October 2026. Additionally, the ~~police, comprising 55 deaths in~~ party challenged official homicide statistics, suggesting a rate of 11.8 per 100,000 inhabitants compared to the government’s reported 7.36. Between September 9 and 43 October 29, 2026, 104 people died in ~~October. Notable~~ incidents ~~include the death~~ reported as exchanges of ~~21-year-old Isaac de Jesús Fernández Reyes in Santiago and several fatal encounters in Bahoruco and San Juan de la Maguana. Controversy intensified following the October 21 death~~ gunfire. In September alone, 55 deaths occurred during these encounters, accounting for 44 percent of ~~16-year-old twins, Randy Omar Borges Jiménez and Omar Randy Borges Jiménez, in Santo Domingo Este. While police claim~~ the ~~teenagers were wanted for criminal activity, their family alleges they were shot while sleeping and~~ 125 homicides recorded that ~~officers planted weapons. On October 28, 2026, Maj. Gen. Rodríguez García responded to a~~ month. Human rights organizations and legal ~~complaint filed by a group~~ experts have called for accountability. The Dominican Institute of ~~lawyers, including Carlos Balcácer, which demands an “immediate and~~ Criminal Law requested independent ~~investigation”~~ investigations into each case, while the ~~deaths of at least 47 young people during police operations between August 17~~ Foundation for Institutionality and September 28. Addressing the questioning of deaths recorded as “legal actions or exchanges of gunfire,” Rodríguez García stated, “There is no conviction without evidence; that is what they taught me.” He maintained Justice (Finjus) warned that combating crime does not justify extrajudicial executions. Ombudsman Pablo Ulloa questioned whether the ~~police transformation~~ loss of life is ~~an ongoing process and reaffirmed~~ being used as a ~~commitment to human rights and maintaining order.~~ substitute for judicial sentencing.

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