Alarming reports of police killings, torture - Amnesty

SAN JUAN (AP):

Police in the Dominican Republic have been responsible for an alarming number of killings and torture over a five-year period, Amnesty International said in a report released yesterday.

The report, titled 'Shut up if you don't want to be killed', documents alleged human rights violations and calls for the police department to thoroughly investigate them.

"Authorities must ensure those responsible for the killings and torture face justice," said Javier Zuniga, Amnesty International director for the Dominican Republic.

Prosecution of officers

Police spokesman Maximo Baez said the department does prosecute officers accused of crimes including murder and that 156 officers have been charged since August 2010.

He said police try to minimise side effects while fighting crime, but added that they face "a very aggressive delinquency".

Last week, Police Chief Jose Armando Polanco said he would not meet with Amnesty delegates unless they mentioned in the report that 55 police officers and soldiers were killed while on duty and another 170 injured. He said at the time that he would not comment further on the report.

At least 154 people were reported killed by police from January to July of this year, compared with 125 people in the same period last year, according to the Dominican Republic's Office of the Prosecutor General.

A total of 260 people were killed by police last year, compared with 346 killed in 2009. Local human rights groups say police also have injured hundreds of others.

Prosecutor Alejandro Moscoso said that between 2008 and 2011, he filed 176 cases in which police officers and soldiers were accused of murder and other crimes. He did not describe the outcome of those cases.