Police corporal convicted for assaulting photojournalist during fire coverage in Santiago

Santiago.– A court sentenced National Police corporal Juan Ramón Pascual Ramírez to serve 60 days in prison, pay a fine of RD$60, and pay compensation of RD$100,000 to photojournalist Roberto Reyes, after finding him guilty of assaulting the communicator while he was performing journalistic duties during the coverage of a fire.

The ruling establishes the agent’s liability for the events that occurred in August 2024, when Roberto Reyes, a member of communicator José Gutiérrez’s program, was covering a fire reported in the vicinity of the Mercado Modelo and El Sombrerero square in Santiago.

According to the file, the corporal physically assaulted the photojournalist and also insulted journalists Maricela de la Cruz and Amparo Infante, who were at the scene covering the incident.

In addition to the prison sentence and the fine, the court ordered the payment of RD$100,000 as compensation to Reyes for the damages caused during the assault.

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The judicial decision is considered a precedent in the protection of the practice of journalism and sends a message that attacks against members of the press must not go unpunished.