CHAPTER V

TWELFTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION

The Commission held its Twelfth Session from October 5 to 15, 1965, with all the members in attendance. The meetings took place at the permanent headquarters of the Commission, in the Pan American Union, Washington, D.C.

1. Study of the Dominican case

The situation regarding human rights in the Dominican Republic was a main topic of this working meeting. The Commission made a detailed study of the work done by the Chairman and the other members who represented it in Dominican territory, and it considered the reports presented individually by Drs. Manuel Bianchi, Mrs. Acuña de Chacón, Carlos Alberto Dunshee de Abranches, and Durward V. Sandifer, which covered the actions carried out from June 1 to August 31, 1965.

Moreover, the Commission considered the draft report presented by the Executive Secretariat, which covers all the work done by the Commission in that country. This document was approved in the meeting held on October 14, 1965.

2. Invitation from the Dominican Government

On September 27, 1965, the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Provisional Government, Dr. Rafael Mencía Lister, addressed a note to the Commission inviting it to be present in the country.

The text of the invitation is as follows:

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Nº 1254 Santo Domingo, D.N.

September 27, 1965

Excellency,

I have the honor to address you, under instructions from my government, to request, in accordance with the provisions of Article 51 of the Institutional Act, that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights remain in the Dominican Republic until the installation of the government that will emanate from the next elections.

My government wishes to inform you hereby that the Commission may count upon our full cooperation for the purpose of permitting the faithful observation of the provisions contained in the Second Part of the Institutional Act, regarding human rights and the basic freedoms.

I shall await news from you regarding the request contained in the present Note.

Accept, Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration.

(s) RAFAEL MENCIA LISTER

VICE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

His Excellency

Mr. Manuel Bianchi

Chairman of the Inter-American Commission

on Human Rights

City

The Commission, taking in due consideration the above invitation, decided in the course of the session to accept it and to acknowledge it by a note addressed to Vice Minister Mencía Lister, the text of which is the following:

October 19, 1965

Mister Vice Minister,

With reference to your kind note of September 27, in which you requested that, in accordance with the provisions of Article 51 of the Institutional Act, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights remain in the Dominican Republic until the installation of the government that will emanate from the next elections, I wish to make known to you that the Commission accepts, and is thankful for, this significant honor, which shows the reiterated confidence placed in the work it has been doing in that noble nation.

The Commission will continue, in accordance with its competence, to defend human rights in general, and particularly those envisaged in the Second Part of the Institutional Act, thus maintaining, in the fulfillment of its duties the respect due to the personality, sovereignty, and independence of the Dominican Republic.

Accept, Sir, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.

Manuel Bianchi

Chairman

His Excellency

Dr. Rafael Mencía Lister

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic

3. Tasks to be carried out by the Commission in the Dominican Republic

In the course of its meetings the Commission considered the tasks that it should carry out in Dominican Territory until the holding of the elections and the inauguration of the elected President.

For this purpose, it considered the present situation of the country in the light of the information presented by the Chairman of the Commission and its other members, and examined the extent of its powers in accordance with its Statute. The Commission also took into consideration the decision adopted at its Eleventh (Special) Session, as well as the provisions of Article 51 of the Institutional Act of the Dominican Republic.

At the tenth meeting, held on October 15, the Commission approved a resolution that set forth the tasks it should accomplish in Dominican territory.

The text of that resolution is as follows:

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

IN VIEW OF:

The invitation that has been extended to it by the Provisional Government of the Dominican Republic, in accordance with the provisions of Article 51 of the Institutional Act,

RESOLVES:

1. To accept and to express its appreciation for the invitation because of the reiterated confidence thereby expressed by the Dominican Government in the work of the Commission.

2. To maintain its office in Santo Domingo, and to go to Dominican territory, if the circumstances make this advisable, as a complete group or through the sending of a subcommittee, or its Chairman, or members of the Commission individually, representing it.

3. To continue, in the Dominican Republic, in accordance with the competence established in its Statute, its Regulations, and the practice already observed in that country by the Commission, the defense of the human rights set forth in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, and particularly those envisaged in the Second Part of the Institutional Act, insofar as they coincide with those set forth in the said Declaration, maintaining, in the performance of its functions, the respect due to the personality, sovereignty, and independence of that American state.

October 15, 1965

(s) Manuel Bianchi, Chairman

(s) Gabino Fraga, Vice Chairman

(s) Angela Acuña de Chacón

(s) Carlos A. Dunshee de Abranches

(s) Gonzalo Escudero

(s) Daniel Hugo Martins

(s) Durward V. Sandifer