Deeply Concerned

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Oct 17, CMC – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping Thursday said it was “deeply concerned” at the ruling by the Constitutional Court in the Dominican Republic that could render stateless, thousands of persons of Haitian descent.

In a statement issued here, CARICOM said it “is particularly concerned about the humanitarian implications of the judgment.

“The implications of tens of thousands of persons being plunged into a constitutional, legal and administrative vacuum by the ruling are a source of deep distress to those affected and one of significant disquiet for our Community. “

Earlier this week, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said he had written to the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, expressing “personal outrage” over the court’s ruling.

“I regret that the circumstances have compelled me to write robustly on this matter. I assure you that my language is restrained and does not fully express my personal outrage.

“This court decision, in effect, renders stateless, huge numbers of these persons of Haitian descent. Surely, this ruling by the Court is unacceptable in any civilised community,” Gonsalves wrote, noting that the court’s ruling is “an affront to all established international norms and elemental humanity.

Former Jamaica Prime Minister PJ Patterson called on the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping to strongly condemn the Dominican Republic court’s ruling and CARICOM Secretary General Irwin La Rocque said the ruling “raises a serious question”about the status of numerous Dominicans of Haitian descent.