A woman was killed in Haina last Sunday, the second death in that town in the last two weeks, bringing about calls for the cessation of violence in the political campaign. So far, eight people have died as a result of the over zealousness of political fanatics. The police are investigating the Haina killing, in which the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana and the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano appear to be involved. Their officials have provided conflicting versions of the unfortunate occurrence.
According to a spokesman for the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, the incident in which 40-year old Juana Peña Díaz, an activist with the Partido de los Trabajadores Dominicanos, died, and six others were injured was caused by members of the Acuerdo de Santo Domingo, the coalition of parties supporting the candidacy of José Francisco Peña Gómez of the PRD.
The secretary general of the PLD, Lidio Cadet, said that those responsible for the fatality were on board a jeep that was at the tail of the political caravan that traveling through Haina. When they passed the local headquarters of the PLD, where several men were playing dominoes, the men in the jeep opened fire, causing the death and injuries, and the destruction of the office. He called for the leaders of the PRD and Dr José Francisco Peña Gómez to rein in the aggressiveness of the PRD supporters, saying that it brings dishonor to politics. He called for the creating of a tri-party committee of the PRD, PRSC and PLD to generate a dialogue that will promote a political campaign without violence.
The PRD has a different version. They say that when the PRD caravan passed in front of the PLD headquarters, they were assaulted by men carrying automatic weapons. The official explanation of the PRD states that when the police entered the headquarters of the PLD, they found a gun with telescopic sight, a machine gun, a shotgun, a 3.8mm pistol, and other assorted firearms. He said that the shots were fired by PLD men who were on the roofs of houses and in the alleys. “We call for Dr Leonel Fernández and Prof. Juan Bosch to order their supporters to stop the aggression against our party members and to conform with the calls for non- violence.”