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Written by Recicladores del Eco-parque Rafey

July 11, 2017

Translated by Laura Morillo


Rafey Eco-park recyclers claim immediate release of detainees
Written by Recicladores del Eco-parque Rafey. 07/06/2017

Press release from the Rafey Eco-Park Recyclers Association in Dominican Republic

Rafey Eco-park recyclers claim immediate release of detainees and opening dialogue with the Mayor Office of Santiago

Santiago, Dominican Republic. The Rafey Eco-park Recyclers Association denounced the unjustified imprisonment of Juan Rosario, President of the organization, and blaimed Mayor Abel Martínez and officials of Cilpen Global Company that have started operations at the landfill.

On Wednesday early in the morning, police officers accompanied by a representative of the Public Prosecutor Office broke into the houses of Juan Rosario and Mr. Pedro María Torres, trader in Santa Lucía Sector, proceeding to arrest them on the grounds that they are responsible for the fires in the landfill and that they carry ilegal weapons.

“It is clear for us that this is an organized plot to let the organization of recyclers as a criminal organization before public opinion and thus to remove 426 recyclers out of the landfill nullifying their rights”, said the organization.

The municipal management of Abel Martínez Duran, ceded the operations of the landfill to Cilpen Global Company, former Lavo Investment. This company installed automated machineries for recycling. This fact has been rejected by the Association of Recyclers since hundreds of men and women who work separating waste will be displaced. The organization requested the compensation for workers and that Cilpen Global company hires them.

As a measure, the town hall removed the recyclers from the landfill, militarized it, prevented the entry of any recycler to the landfill, and accused the president of the organization of the fire occured last Sunday. He denied that the fire was caused by recyclers because the fire produces heavy losses to recyclers since all the recycled material can be lost.

He denounced that the indictment is no more than an argument to expel the recyclers from the landfill.  “Since last Monday, men and women who have been doing the recycling work in the Rafey Eco-park have been prevented from entering the area, under the allegation that these workers are responsible for the fires that ocurred on the site”, said the organization.

While demanding the immediate reléase of the detainees, the Rafey Eco-park recyclers Association called Mayor Abel Martínez and the businessmann Neney Cabrera, to sit down and discuss with the company´s management to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict.