The last page of the first section of Hoy has two good articles on the need for solid public defenders in the Dominican Republic. FINJUS, the Foundation for Institutionalism and Justice, says that if a foreign judicial reporter were ever to review the situation in the Dominican Republic, the realities would be denounced all over the world, because the DR?s poor are virtually defenseless.
The article, authored by Ubaldo Guzm?n Molina, cites the director of the National Office for Judicial Defense, Rosal?a Sosa, who gave a talk at the FINJUS forum, titled ?The Access of the Poor to Justice in the Dominican Republic?. The theme of the forum was ?Public Defense: A Fundamental Right?. According to Sosa, the poor do not have access to justice in the country and do not comprehend the judicial system. What is being sought is a highly qualified legal defense lawyer who can guarantee that the accused are granted access to free defense counsel.
One of Sosa?s case studies was that of Silverio Figueroa Pe?a, who was accused of murder in April 1991. In December of that same year his file was processed for the last time and he remained behind bars for the next 12 years without ever going to trial. Other cases, some still active, were also presented at the forum and heard by a very attentive audience. The public defenders could now be a reality.