Defense and Police say they will maintain their disciplinary regime after TC ruling on homosexual relations

Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Defense, Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, stated his position this Monday on the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court that decriminalizes sexual relations between people of the same sex within the National Police and the Armed Forces. During the meeting “LA Semanal”, led by President Luis Abinader, the official assured that, although they respect the independence of the branches of government, the military forces will continue to apply their disciplinary regime without exceptions.

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“We respect the independence of the State’s powers, but I want to make it very clear that, despite that ruling, the Armed Forces maintain their disciplinary code, which applies without distinction to all military personnel who violate it,” affirmed Fernández Onofre.

His statements matched those of the director of the National Police, Ramón Antonio Guzmán Peralta, who stated that the institution will abide by the decision of the Constitutional Court, but reminded that the internal regulations remain in force. “We are obedient to the decisions of the High Court, but the National Police has its own rules, regulations and control bodies that ensure compliance,” he stated. Both Defense and the Police reiterated that they will abide by the sentence within the legal framework, without disregarding the disciplinary mechanisms that govern their members.