| José Agustín Silvestre de los Santos | |
|---|---|
| Born | José Agustín Silvestre de los Santos 1952? |
| Died | August 2, 2011 La Romana, Dominican Republic |
| Occupation | TV host, Journalist |
| Other names | José Silvestre, a.k.a. “Gajo” |
| Nationality | Dominican |
| Notable credit(s) | Host, "La Voz de la Verdad", Caña TV |
José Agustín Silvestre de los Santos, known as José Silvestre or by his nickname "Gago", (1952? - 2 August 2011) was a magazine director and television host of the show "La Voz de la Verdad" for Caña TV in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Silvestre was killed because of his reporting about drug trafficking. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Silvestre was the third journalist murdered in the Dominican Republic since 1992.[1][2]
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Silvestre hosted a television program "La Voz de la Verdad" (Translation: Voice of Truth) on regional TV station Caña TV and edited a magazine of the same name.[1]
A case of libel had already been brought against Silvestre for his report where he accused political figures and a priest, who were supposed to be part of anti-drug efforts, of being involved in drug trafficking. The prosecutor José Polanco Ramírez had brought libel charges against Silvestre and he was to appear in court the day on which he was killed.[3][4] Silvestre had previously spent 6 days in jail in May and June before making bail.[5]
Silvestre, 59, was abducted and murdered 2 August 2011. The week before an attempt had been made on Silvestre's life.[5] Police accuse Matías "Daniel" Avelino Castro, the owner of a hotel and advertising agency, of allegedly using the alias of Joaquín Espinal Almeyda to order the murder. Silvestre was violently seized by four men outside a La Romana hotel and forced into a Ford Explorer. The attackers left Silvestre dead on a desolate highway at a place called "El Peñón", near Sabana del Soco, San Pedro de Macorís, with three bullet wounds to his body. Police say Avelino wanted to avenge a mention in an article by Silvestre linking him to criminal activity, including the murder of two people in the eastern city of La Romana.[1][3][6]
The National Police arrested five men they say were responsible for the attack. They seized weapons, ammunition rounds, and 118,000 pescos.[7] Matías “Daniel” Avelino Castro was not found by police.
According to a report by Diaro Libre on 28 September 2011, the SUV that the perpetrators used had come from an Avis car rental facility in La Caleta, Boca Chica, and the manager of that facility, who was in custody, died as he was being transferred from a detention center to a medical facility.[8]
In December 2011, José Rijo, the Cincinnati Reds pitcher who won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award in 1990, was subpeonaed by the Dominican Republic's Anti-Money Laundering Unit in relation to his business dealings with Matías “Daniel” Avelino Castro and any information about Silvestre's murder. German Miranda, who is the head of the unit, said an arrest warrant had been issued for Rijo.[9] The next day, 14 December 2011, Rijo was interviewed by two sections of the Justice Ministry and confirmed his business relationship with Castro.[10]
| Murder of José Agustín Silvestre de los Santos | |
|---|---|
|
La Romana
|
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| Location | La Romana, Dominican Republic |
| Date | 2 August 2011 |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Assailants | 5 |
José Agustín Silvestre de los Santos died reporting about the dangerous drug cartels which eventually lead to his untimely death. According to the CIA World Factbook, drug trafficking is an issue in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is a hub for drugs from South America or ecstacy from The Netherlands and Belgium. It is also a point of substantial money laundering activity, in particular for Colombian narcotics traffickers.[11]
Just prior to his death, Silvestre had reportedly prepared a publication naming political leaders, businessmen and government officials allegedly linked to international drug trafficking.[12]
Irina Bokova, who is the director-general of UNESCO, said, "It is essential that a full investigation be carried out into this case for journalists to be able to continue exercising their basic human right of freedom of expression."[13]
Amnesty International said the Dominican authorities must better protect journalists. "If it emerges that his death could have been prevented through better protection, the authorities must make that information public and ensure more is done in future to protect journalists at risk."[14][5]
Silvestre was survived by his wife and 11 children.[3]