Dominican@s for Rights: 2024 Statement

More than a decade after Judgment TC/0168/13, the Dominican@s for Rights platform is once again raising its voice with an urgent call to the Dominican State to intensify efforts to resolve the statelessness crisis affecting thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent. Far from having been solved, the problem has taken on a transgenerational character, leaving thousands of people without access to fundamental rights.

Judgment TC/0168/13 stripped more than 130,000 people of their right to Dominican nationality, severely affecting their access to basic rights such as education, health, and employment, among others. Although the enactment of Law 169-14 in 2014 represented a step toward a solution, its implementation has been inadequate, and 35,000 people still have their documents withheld, despite having been audited by the Central Electoral Board in 2015. This figure reflects the seriousness of the problem, especially for those of Haitian descent, who face administrative barriers, discrimination, and exclusion.

In addition, the cycle of statelessness threatens to extend to future generations. None of the 7,159 people who applied under Law 169-14 has achieved naturalization, regardless of the two presidential decrees promulgated, one by former president Danilo Medina and a second by president Luis Abinader, which sought to provide an expedited process for 799 people from this group after they had completed their procedures. We are facing a new generation that is born and grows up without access to rights, thereby increasing the number of stateless persons in the country.

In that regard, according to data from the Dominican Republic's General Directorate of Migration, 67,844 foreigners were deported from the country in the first half of the year. In addition, many people who cannot prove their Dominican nationality are confused with Haitian migrants, with resulting violations of their rights; Dominicans threatened by possible expulsions.

For the reasons set out above, we demand a robust implementation of Law 169-14, strengthened so that it fulfills its original purpose of restoring nationality and full enjoyment of rights for those affected by Judgment TC/0168/13.

On the eleventh anniversary of Judgment TC/0168/13, we reiterate our call to the Dominican State to:

• Accelerate the effective implementation of Law 169-14, speeding up documentation and naturalization processes.
• Cease arbitrary detentions and deportations without due process, guaranteeing respect for human rights and thus preventing possible expulsions of people born in the country from their own country.
• Implement an accessible and effective process so that all persons stripped of their nationality can recover it.
• Guarantee the full enjoyment of human rights for all affected persons, without discrimination based on origin.
• Protect and guarantee the rights of children and adolescents without discrimination.

Dominican@s for Rights remains committed to a just and durable solution for those who have been deprived of their nationality, seeking a dialogue that will allow us to overcome the gaps that still persist. It is urgent that the Dominican State assume its responsibility to protect the rights of all people living in its territory. We cannot allow this crisis to keep growing.