Several sources state that supporters of the then-ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) were linked to a fatal attack on air force general Luis Santiago Perez in April 1998 (Country Reports 1998 1999, 598; Miami Herald 4 May 1998; The Washington Times 5 May 1998). While Country Reports 1998 states that the incident took place on 10 April 1998 (598), The Washington Times report states that it took place about two weeks before the parliamentary elections on 16 May 1998 (5 May 1998). Lidio Cadet , PLD secretary general, admitted that members of his party had been involved in the beating of Santiago (Resumen Diario 5 May 1998; Miami Herald 4 May 1998; The Washington Times 5 May 1998). Cadet released names of those in his party who were connected to the attack on Santiago, who died two days after being "severely beaten with a hammer" (ibid.). He denied that the killing was politically motivated (ibid.; Resumen Diario 5 May 1998), given that Santiago, moments before being beaten, was asking PLD supporters for a campaign poster to put on his vehicle (ibid.).

The following is a chronology of some events following the death of Santiago provided in several Resumen Diario reports. Please note that Resumen Diario is an electronic summary of various reports taken from Dominican newspapers.

On 5 May 1998, police presented six persons implicated in the death of Santiago before the District Attorney's office (5 May 1998). These persons allegedly involved in the killing were: Francisco Benedito Morales, José Ramón Diloné Bencosme, Rubén Cuevas Sánchez, Diógenes de la Rosa Abéu, Antonio Ramírez Cuello and Julio César Montás (ibid.).

PLD secretary general Lidio Cadet reported that the incident that caused Santiago Perez' death was provoked by a friend of Perez' and not by supporters of his party (ibid. 6 May 1998). He added that this friend of Perez' had a dark complexion and took out a gun from his pocket, and began to beat the PLD supporters (ibid.). The report offers no additional information on the incident.

While summarizing a report which appeared in the Dominican newspaper Listín Diario, Resumen Diario reported on 6 May 1998 that Santiago was not active in any political organization. However, the same source, while summarizing a Hoy article, reported that he was the fourth person of the new political movement called "National Solution" (Solución Nacional) that would have presented himself as a candidate for the 2000 elections (ibid. 5 May 1998).

Resumen Diario reported that one of the principal accusers of Santiago's death, José René Diloné Bencosme, was excluded from the accusatory document (pieza acusatoria) because, according to the lawyers representing family members of Santiago, the state had a part in excluding him (8 May 1998).

Two reports from El Siglo newspaper appeared in Resumen Diario on 18 June 1998 and 29 July 1998 respectively reporting the deaths of both medical officials who provided medical attention to Santiago. In the 18 June 1998, it was reported that the mother of anesthesiologist Jorge Enrique Trujillo Salgado, who had operated on the general, had asked the authorities to investigate the "suicide" of her son as she believed that he had not killed himself. The judicial authorities and the police began their investigations into the death of Trujillo by tracing a series of phone calls that he had allegedly made moments before he was to have committed suicide in his apartment (ibid.). On 29 July 1998, it was reported that Milvio Carrera Guzmán, a doctor with the Forensic Pathology Institute (Instituto de Patología Forense) had been strangled with a belt and killed by unknown persons in a wooden area near the Duarte highway. Carrera had worked with Trujillo while administering medical attention to Santiago (ibid.).

No additional information on these deaths could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Resumen Diario reported in August 1998 that Lidio Cadet had been brought before the magistrate in charge of the Santiago investigation, Carmen Fortuna Belliard, for thorough questioning (18 Aug. 1998). Cadet accused the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) of plotting against him and was engaging in a campaign to do him harm (ibid.).

On the issue of the murder of Santiago, Country Reports 1998 states that "the police investigated the murder, arrested eight persons, and charged them with murder; they remained in custody pending trial at year's end" (1999, 598).

No 1999 reports on this trial or conclusions related to Santiago could be found among the sources consulted.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.

Miami Herald. 4 May 1998. "Dominican Republic." (NEXIS)

Resumen Diario. 18 August 1998. "Interrogan a Cadet." http://www.bet-tips.com/cicom/0818po.htm. [Accessed 6 Dec. 1999]

_____. 29 July 1998. "Confirma médico fue asesinado." http://www.bet-tips.com/cicom/0729po.htm. [Accessed 6 Dec. 1999]

_____. 18 June 1998. "Rastrean llamadas del médico cubano." http://www.bet-tips.com/cicom/0618po.htm. [Accessed 6 Dec. 1999]

_____. 8 May 1998. "Exclusión de acusado en muerte de ex-general origina polémica." http://www.bet-tips.com/cicom/0508po.htm. [Accessed 6 Dec. 1999]

_____. 6 May 1998. "El PLD habla sobre muerte del general retirado." http://www.bet-tips.com/cicom/0506po.htm. [Accessed 6 Dec. 1999]

_____. 5 May 1998. "La Policía." http://www.bet-tips.com/cicom/0505po.htm. [Accessed 6 Dec. 1999]

The Washington Times. 5 May 1998. "Dominican Politician Ties Backers to Murder." (NEXIS)

Amnesty International Country File: Dominican Republic. May 1998 to November 1999.

IRB Databases

Latin American Regional Reports: Caribbean and Central America Report [London]. May 1998 to November 1999.

LEXIS/NEXIS

REFWORLD

Resource Centre's Country File: Dominican Republic. May 1998 to November 1999.

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

Dominican Republic Air Force

Human Rights Watch

Search Engines including:

Google

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