Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) is claiming that interrogation techniques used by police in the Dominican Republic include the use of baseball bats, sexual abuse, and onions. The onions are forced into the mouths of victims in an effort to simulate the sensation of choking.
“They have specialized in this technique,” NCHR Vice President Joselin Melo said. “It appears that the onion has given them results.”
It is only the latest stain on the Dominican Republic’s human rights record. Past violations have included discrimination against Haitians and violence against trade unionists. In light of the increase in human rights abuses after the last economic crisis, in 2003, this latest revelation may prove to be the beginning of a similar trend. “[The 2003 economic crisis] placed enormous pressure on the already less than robust respect for human rights in Dominican Republic,” said Amnesty International.
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