(RSF/IFEX) – The anonymous death threats that have been made against Manuel Vega, a journalist and television producer who has often denounced drug trafficking in the eastern province of Hato Mayor, should be taken seriously by the Dominican Republic’s authorities, RSF stated on 24 January 2007, calling for Vega to be given protection appropriate to […]
(RSF/IFEX) – The anonymous death threats that have been made against Manuel Vega, a journalist and television producer who has often denounced drug trafficking in the eastern province of Hato Mayor, should be taken seriously by the Dominican Republic’s authorities, RSF stated on 24 January 2007, calling for Vega to be given protection appropriate to the serious risks he is facing.
“It is incomprehensible that the government and its relevant departments have not already come to Vega’s aid,” RSF said. “Is he being made to pay for alleging that certain officials in Hato Mayor are colluding with drug traffickers? Everyone knows that a journalist who tackles drug trafficking is taking a big risk. Vega’s allegations call for significant measures against organised crime. The threats that have been made against him mean he should get substantial protection.”
The producer of “Atacando,” a programme broadcast by the privately-owned television station Canal 10-Varo Visión and radio 95.5 FM in Hato Mayor province, Vega has dedicated several of his recent broadcasts to drug trafficking in the region. He reported on 23 January that he had been repeatedly threatened during the prior week. An anonymous caller told him he was “causing problems” and would be “burned alive” it he continued to cover this subject.
Vega said he thought the threats were coming from a fellow Dominican Republic citizen who recently returned home after serving a sentence for drug trafficking in the United States. He accused the authorities of “indifference” and said he did not trust the regional police, which was “contaminated” by drug trafficking, he claimed.
Vega has received the support of the National Union of Press Workers (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Prensa, SNTP), one of the country’s leading media unions, which has called on the government to conduct a “thorough investigation” into the case. Currently protected by relatives and friends, Vega has said he will continue to work despite the threats.
