Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
| Right | Section | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of Association | History | Article 30 of the 1844 Constitution of the Dominican Republic guarantees freedom of association.
References: 1844 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: Spanish orignal text of the Constitution of 1844 57 (2012) Chapter I: Of Sovereignty https://heinonline-org.proxygw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0015&id=5&men_tab=srchresults |
| Freedom of Expression | History | The 1821 Constitutive Act of the Provisional Government of the Independent State of the Spanish Part of Hayti offered a provisional guarantee of freedom of the press, and the 1844 Constitution of the Dominican Republic offered a more straightforward guarantee of press freedom.
Article 23 of the February 1854 Constitution of the Dominican Republic described freedom of expression in the context of the right to petition the government: "All Dominicans have the right of petitioning upon any matter whatsoever of public or private interest, and of expressing freely and without any responsibility, their opinion touching the same...." Article 11.2 of the 1877 Constitution of the Dominican Republic guaranteed freedom of thought and speech as well as the press. Article 11.2 of the 1887 Constitution of the Dominican Republic guaranteed freedom of expression understood in similar terms: "The liberty of thought, expressed by speech or by means of the press without previous censure, but subject to the law...." The 1924 Constitution of the Dominican Republic offered a still broader assertion of freedom of expression, described in terms of: "The right to express thought by any medium without prior censorship." References: 1821 Constitutive Act of the Provisional Government of the Independent State of the Spanish Part of Hayti: English translation of the Constitution of 1821 557 (2010) Constitutive Act of the Provisional Government of the Independent State of the Spanish Part of Hayti https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0002&id=8&men_tab=srchresults 1844 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: Spanish orignal text of the Constitution of 1844 [3] (2012) Chapter II: Public Right of Dominicans https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0014&id=3&men_tab=srchresults February 1854 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: English translation of the Constitution of February 1854 1321 (2010) Chapter 2 https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0003&id=7&men_tab=srchresults 1877 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1877 218 (2010) Title III: Guarantees of Dominicans https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0033&id=3&men_tab=srchresults 1887 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: English translation of the Constitution of 1887. 757 (2010) Chapter III: National Guarantees https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0006&id=3&men_tab=srchresults 1924 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: "Section I: Individual Rights," Constitution of the Dominican Republic (1924): 4-5 https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0100&id=2&men_tab=srchresults |
| Freedom of Religion | History | Article 11, Section 18 of the 1887 Constitution of the Dominican Republic offered religious toleration, observing that Roman Catholicism was the official religion, but allowing that "Other sects may hold their services freely in their respective houses of worship."
References: English translation of the Constitution of 1887. 757 (2010) Chapter III: National Guarantees:https://heinonline-org.proxygw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0006&id=3&men_tab=srchresults |
| Freedom of the Press | History | Article 18 of the 1821 Constitutive Act of the Provisional Government of the Independent State of the Spanish Part of Hayti stated: "The liberty of the Press shall subsist in its present state, subject to the formalities and punishments prescribed by the existing Laws, until others of a more suitable nature are promulgated."
According to Article 23 of the Dominican Republic’s 1844 Constitution: “All Dominicans can freely print and publish their ideas, without prior censorship, subject to the law. The classification of printing crimes corresponds exclusively to the juries” [Translated from Spanish] Today, Article 49 of the Dominican Republic’s Constitution protects press freedom: “All persons have the right to freely express their thoughts, ideas, and opinions by any medium, without having allowed for prior censorship… All information media have free access to the official and private sources of information of public interest, in accordance with the law. The professional secret and the conscience clause of the journalist are protected by the Constitution and the law” (Constitute Project, “Dominican Republic's Constitution of 2015” ). References: 1821 Constitutive Act of the Provisional Government of the Independent State of the Spanish Part of Hayti: English translation of the Constitution of 1821 557 (2010) Constitutive Act of the Provisional Government of the Independent State of the Spanish Part of Hayti https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0002&id=8&men_tab=srchresults 1844 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: Spanish orignal text of the Constitution of 1844 [3] (2012) Chapter II: Public Right of Dominicans https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0014&id=3&men_tab=srchresults 2015 Constitution of the Dominican Republic: https://heinonline-org.mutex.gmu.edu/HOL/Page collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzdo0014&id=3&men_tab=srchresults https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Dominican_Republic_2015 |
| Privacy Rights | History | In the 2015 constitution, Article 44 establishes a right to privacy and personal honor: In respect to right to privacy it reads “all people have the right to privacy. The respect and non-interference into private and family life, the home, and private correspondence are guaranteed.” The constitution has established that the “home and domicile and all private premises of the person are inviolable,” in addition to the recognition that people’s documents should be private: “The inviolability of private correspondence, documents, or messages in physical, digital, electronic, or all other formats is recognized.”
The right to personal honor is established by “the right to honor, good name, and one’s own image are recognized. All authorities or individuals who violate them are obligated to compensate or repair them in accordance with the law.” https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Dominican_Republic_2015 |
| Voting Rights and Suffrage | History | Article 208 in the Dominican Republic’s constitution grants the right of universal, direct, free, and secret suffrage to all citizens over the age of 18, with the exceptions of Members of the Armed Forces and individuals whose rights have been revoked by courts. (Constitute Project, “Dominican Republic’s Constitution of 2015) . |