Pedro Fernandez, El Nacional newspaper’s correspondent in the northeastern city of San Francisco de Macoris, has reported that he has evidence that a local drug dealer known as “Michel” has hired two contract killers to murder him.
The international press freedom campaign group Reporters Without Borders has asked the Dominican Republic authorities to take the threat very seriously, saying: “The Dominican Republic is a major regional drug-trafficking hub. The risk of reprisals is very high for journalists who dare to denounce the activities of organized crime.”
According to Fernandez, who has written a great deal about the wars between drug gangs in that part of the country, his reporting is the reason for this threat to his life. The threat apparently comes from a drug dealer known as ‘Michel’. He has criticized the slowness of the police to take action but says he will not be intimidated.
Reporters Without Borders and Fernandez state that they are filing a complaint in order to show the criminals that they cannot act as they please in San Francisco de Macoris.
www.trust.org/item/20140113130658-gq7ri/
www.listindiario.com/las-mundiales/2014/1/13/306696/Reporteros-sin-Fronteras-pide-a-RDinvestigarlas-amenazas-contra-un