Environmentalists slam censorship in coal-fired plants row

Santo Domingo.- The National Committee to Combat ClimateChange, (CNLCC) on Wednesday complained to various national entities that it’s avictim of alleged censorship in the country’s media and called on thoseinstitutions to “help prevent the illegal practice from continuing and spreading.”

CNLCC executives said letters were delivered on Monday tothe Dominican Journalists Guild (CDP), the Dominican Newspapers Association (ADD)and the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), to report the alleged censorshipof a report on the cable service EFE of June 15.

“The report which quoted the revelation that the State-ownedReservas bank faced difficulties for loans to the government for PuntaCatalina, was removed from the websites after it was published by digitalnewspapers Almomento.net and 7Días.com, without explanation,” said CNLCCexecutives Ingrid Paulino, Hector Turbi, David Montes de Oca Fortunato andEnrique de León in an emailed statement.

"Still to this date, when link of the information inthese two newspapers is accessed, a different content or the cover ofthe media appears,” the statement said.

They said the censorship cannot be justified, because theinformation "came from a responsible and recognized organization orwhether it was not from an anonymous source, since it provided concrete andspecific data on the complaint, and didn’t use abusive or offensive language,"the environmentalists said, noting that the information came from EFE “aninternational agency with proven public credibility.”

“It’s censorship from the abuse of power which has been hasdenounced both in the case of the Reservas bank as well as the use of thepension fund, and has been present in the planned construction of coal plants atPunta Catalina (south) since its inception,” the organization said.

"We’re aware that free expression and dissemination ofthought, freedom of press and the right of people to be informed, are theguarantee of the preservation of the rule of law, and an instrument ofprevention, containment and repair of excesses of power in society."