Criticism continued against the conviction and jail sentence of journalist Juan Bolivar Diaz, the director of news at TeleAntillas (channel 2). The Lawyers’ Association of Haina and the Movement for the Transformation of Dominican Justice have come out against the verdict, arguing that judicial standards were not followed in the case.
Much of the testimony before Judge Juan Maria Severino was conducted in the absence of Mr. Diaz, and many public figures and legal experts have questioned the severity of the sentence passed down by Judge Severino.
Mr. Diaz was accused of libel and slander by Generoso Ledesma, who is named as a conspirator to the alleged fraud in the 1994 election in Mr. Diaz’s book “Trauma Electoral”. The sentence was even criticized by the Attorney General of the National District, Julio Cesar Castaños Guzmán, who has filed an appeal. Meanwhile, Mr. Diaz continues to be at liberty and is continuing to carrying out his duties with TeleAntillas.