SANTO DOMINGO – A significant political controversy has emerged in the Dominican Republic regarding the nation’s potential accession to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). Roberto Rosario, former president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), has issued a stern warning against such a move, characterizing its proponents as “enemies of the homeland.” This declaration comes amid reports that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering regularizing the country’s status before the international human rights body.
Rosario referenced his involvement in a high-level Dominican delegation that visited the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington following Constitutional Court ruling 168-13. The delegation, headed by former President Danilo Medina and comprising senior government officials, aimed to clarify the implications of the domestic court’s decision. According to Rosario, representatives of the Court explicitly stated that the Dominican Republic would be required to amend its Constitution to comply with the Court’s rulings concerning citizenship access provisions.
This position triggered a robust rebuttal from then-presidential legal adviser César Pina Toribio, who vehemently defended national sovereignty and rejected what he perceived as external interference in the country’s internal affairs. Drawing from this diplomatic encounter, Rosario concluded that any initiative for the Dominican Republic to join the Inter-American Court of Human Rights constitutes a direct threat to national sovereignty and must be categorically opposed by patriotic citizens and government institutions alike.