President Leonel Fernandez has undertaken to enforce the law 6-96, approved by Congress in October of 1994 which grants those arrested the right to one telephone call. For foreigners detained by the police, the right to contact their embassy, consulate or other representative in the D.R. will be maintained.
The law stipulates that the call will be made no longer than one hour after the person arrested enters a police station. It also establishes that the conversation will be strictly limited to the case and cause for the arrest, and will be made in the presence of the police.
An exception has been made for drug arrests in which case the arresting officers and/or the authorities at the local station can decide not to grant the right to the call, according to the particular circumstances. Failure to comply with the granting of this right for the arrested will result in the termination of the officers concerned and subsequent prosecution.
The Chief of the National Police, Major General Camilo Antonio Nazir Tejada pledged to cooperate with the move, which has been praised by most commentators. The cleaning-up of the justice system has been seen as one of the greatest challenges for the new President, who happens to be a lawyer by profession.