Centro Bonó affirms that they will not share report with the Central Electoral Board’s Oversight Commission
Claims that the Central Electoral Board violates basic rights
November 1, 2013
Ariel Díaz-Alejo/acento.com.do.
Bono Center refuses to send four copies of the brief, “Vidas Suspendidas”, Suspended Lives to Rosario Márquez. The brief presents the human drama that is generated by the mass stripping of nationality by the Central Electoral Board and endorsed by the Constitutional Court.
SANTO DOMINGO Dominican Republic – Today Centro Bono informed the Central Electoral Board that they will not provide data to the appointed Commission Supervisors that are responsible for evaluating the impact within the context human rights violations as a result of the Constitutional Court’s 0168/13 ruling and according to the Board’s request.
In a response letter to the President of the Central Electoral Board, Roberto Rosario Márquez that was received by him in the afternoon of Monday, the 28th, Bonó Center recalled the years that they have devoted to accompanying victims of decisions that infringe upon their Constitutional rights. Bono understands that this inconsistency makes it impossible to accept this collaboration with oversight to ignore those same rights.
«We recognize the supremacy of the Constitution as established in Article 6 which establishes that all laws, ordinances, resolutions, regulations or acts are made void if contrary to the Constitution,» says the company when arguing the rejection of the Central Electoral Board’s invitation and the process that the executive branch began to implement in the 168-13 sentence.
«The sentence is absurd and it’s a violation of human rights and the Dominican Republic’s Constitution.”
Noting that the Central Electoral Board is a repeat offender of the international Court’s decisions to uphold and protect the rights of Dominicans of Haitian descent, Bonó decided not to send four copies of the bulletin “Vidas Suspendidas” to Rosario Márquez . Vidas Suspendidas or Suspended Lives is a collection of stories of the human experience as generated by the massive stripping of nationality undertaken by the Board and endorsed by the Constitutional Court.
«Our position relative to the subject of your request has been known since the day the Constitutional Court’s judgment was made public on 26 September 2013. ( … ) The sentence is absurd, and it violates human rights and the Dominican Republic’s Constitution. One of the mistakes is to confuse the problems caused by the irresponsible immigration policies with the right to nationality for Dominican born and with the civil registry situation and administration» emphasized the Center in the letter signed by its director, Roque Felix, and Octavio Figueroa, Pablo Mella and SJ Martin Lenk.
Managers noted that the Center is willing to participate in an open and transparent initiative that respects the rights of individuals and of the State as an institution of rights.
The Central Electoral Board’s Oversight Committee is comprised of Adriano Miguel Tejada , director of Diario Libre (a national newspaper) as well as other personalities. According to Roberto Rosario, the same occurs for other information gathering works. They respect the participation of persons that should be included in the process of information gathering for the National Migration Counsel and the prior audit about the same issue.
