In the heart of the Caribbean, a fierce debate is raging over police conduct and the sanctity of due process after a series of fatal police shootings in the Dominican Republic. The latest incident, which unfolded on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, in the bustling city of Santiago de los Caballeros, has once again put the country’s law enforcement practices under a harsh spotlight. According to The Associated Press, police officers shot and killed five men they described as suspected criminals, claiming the suspects opened fire first. But activists and grieving families are raising urgent questions about the circumstances and the broader pattern these deaths represent.
The Dominican National Police assert that the deceased were members of a gang linked to kidnappings, drug trafficking, and contract killings. “Police claim the suspects initiated the gunfire,” reported Devdiscourse, echoing the official line. Yet, as the number of such incidents climbs, critics are increasingly skeptical of these accounts and the procedures used to investigate them.
Manuel María Mercedes, president of the National Human Rights Commission, has become the most prominent voice challenging the authorities. In a statement to The Associated Press, Mercedes did not mince words: “We consider what happened yesterday to be an abusive use of force by the National Police.” He insisted that investigations must be “transparent and within the framework of due process as established by law.” Mercedes’s alarm is not merely rhetorical. He and other activists see a dangerous trend emerging—a de facto death penalty, imposed not by courts, but by police bullets.
“We are speaking out and denouncing the fact that we are witnessing the establishment of the death penalty in the Dominican Republic through extrajudicial executions, even though the Constitution and international pacts and conventions prohibit it,” Mercedes told The Associated Press. The country’s constitution, like many in the region, explicitly forbids the death penalty, and international human rights agreements to which the Dominican Republic is a signatory reinforce this ban. Nonetheless, Mercedes and his colleagues argue that the realities on the ground tell a very different story.
The numbers are stark. The National Human Rights Commission has recorded more than 150 extrajudicial executions so far in 2025—a figure that already dwarfs the 80 such deaths documented in all of 2024, according to both Devdiscourse and The Associated Press. For a nation of nearly 11 million, these figures are deeply troubling to many. The Commission’s data suggests the problem is not only persistent but accelerating.
For families of the victims, the pain is compounded by doubts about the official narratives. Relatives of one of the five men killed on Wednesday told local media that he was innocent and had been gunned down while simply opening his barbershop. Their grief is now tangled with a sense of injustice and fear that the truth about what happened may never come to light.
This latest incident is not an isolated one. Activists point out that such killings have nearly doubled compared to last year, fueling suspicions that the police are resorting to deadly force with increasing frequency and impunity. The pattern, they warn, risks undermining public trust in the justice system and the rule of law itself.
Calls for accountability are growing louder. Just two days before the Santiago de los Caballeros shootings, the opposition Dominican Liberation Party publicly demanded that an international body take charge of investigating all deaths resulting from police interventions. Their reasoning is rooted in a widespread perception that current oversight mechanisms are inadequate. At present, the Office of the Attorney General is officially responsible for probing police shootings. However, as activists and opposition figures point out, these investigations are not always carried out, and when they are, the findings are not consistently made public. This lack of transparency feeds suspicions of cover-ups and further erodes confidence in official processes.
“Mercedes highlights fears of the emergence of a death penalty through police actions, defying constitutional and international norms,” Devdiscourse reported, encapsulating the core of the activists’ concerns. The legal framework is clear, but in practice, Mercedes and others argue, the boundaries are being blurred by a culture of impunity and a willingness to sidestep due process in the name of public safety.
For many Dominicans, the stakes of this debate could not be higher. The country, like many others in the region, has long struggled with crime and violence. Gangs involved in drug trafficking, kidnappings, and contract killings are a real threat, and the police are often on the front lines. But as the number of fatal police shootings rises, so too does the risk that the state’s response will undermine the very principles it claims to defend.
International human rights organizations have historically warned about the dangers of unchecked police power in Latin America. The Dominican case now appears to be a textbook example of what can go wrong when oversight is weak and accountability mechanisms falter. The situation is further complicated by the country’s political landscape. The opposition’s call for international involvement reflects both a lack of faith in domestic institutions and a desire to leverage global pressure for reform.
Meanwhile, the government faces a delicate balancing act. On one hand, it must address legitimate concerns about crime and public safety. On the other, it cannot ignore the mounting evidence of abuses and the growing chorus demanding change. The integrity of the justice system—and the country’s international reputation—may well hang in the balance.
Some observers note that the Dominican Republic is not alone in grappling with these dilemmas. Across the Americas, debates over police conduct, accountability, and the use of deadly force have become flashpoints for broader struggles over democracy and the rule of law. Yet, the rapid increase in reported extrajudicial executions in the Dominican Republic makes its case particularly urgent.
As the nation comes to terms with the deaths in Santiago de los Caballeros, the questions raised by activists, families, and opposition leaders remain unanswered. Will the investigations be as transparent and thorough as promised? Can the cycle of violence be broken without sacrificing the principles of justice and human rights? For now, the answers are far from clear, but one thing is certain: the conversation has begun, and it will not be easily silenced.
The Dominican Republic stands at a crossroads, facing a test not only of its laws but of its values. How it responds in the coming months will shape the future of its democracy and the safety of its citizens for years to come.