Pretrial detainee dies in New City Courthouse jail; family denounces negligence

Santo Domingo.- A pretrial detainee was found dead in the jail of the Palace of Justice of Ciudad Nueva. The deceased was identified as Alexander Pérez Martínez, 25 years old, who had been in detention for about 15 days, accused of alleged sexual assault and robbery.

His brother, Rafael Pérez Martínez, assured that Alexander died because of an illness he had contracted in prison and that, according to his denunciation, was aggravated due to lack of medical attention, mistreatment and negligence on the part of the health personnel and the authorities of the precinct.

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Rafael stated that his brother’s detention was “an evil deed”, insisting that there were no grounds to keep him locked up. He even pointed out that during the days of arrest no one came forward to formalize a complaint, which —he asserts— casts doubt on the legitimacy of the process. The deceased’s brother explained that Alexander had communicated his deteriorated health from the cell, alleging that he was not receiving adequate medication or food. He added that the treatments prescribed by the doctors had to be brought by the family members, which, in his opinion, shows a serious neglect by the prison authorities. Rafael found out about the death when he went to the detention center yesterday, located on the fourth floor of the Palace of Justice. He said that, although the authorities knew his brother was “very ill,” they did not inform him in a timely manner about the seriousness of the case. Alexander’s family is demanding a thorough investigation to clarify the circumstances of his death and determine if there was responsibility on the part of the prison or medical staff in the handling of his health condition.