The US State Department Human Rights report is out again, blasting the National Police for violations again. According to the report, the Police executed more than 250 persons in 2000, more than in 1999. The report is critical that President Mejia has kept General Pedro de Jesus Candelier as chief of the Police. It states that police abuses are the result of weak basic education, poor training and weak discipline of the force, aggravated by the low salaries police are paid. Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez does not like the fact that the US State Department issues a report on state of human rights in other countries. He said that that country does not have the moral right to criticize others when "precisely in that country is where most human rights violations of its citizens occur." Chief of the Police Candelier denied commenting when approached by the press while attending the presenting of the memoirs by the President at Congress. He said if he commented the newspapers would give him the headlines, which would take away the impact of the presidential speech. The executive director of the Foundation for Institutionality and Justice (FINJUS), Francisco Dominguez Brito said that the violations occur because in the DR there are not penalties against those that violate human rights. The report is on the web at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/wha/index.cfm?docid=761
