The United Workers Party (UWP) says the ‘political persecution’ of its political leaders continues unabated with the detention of former senator and former Deputy Party Leader, Claudius Sanford on Wednesday.
Sanford was detained at his home at around 5:30 am after his house was searched. He was released over 10 hours later and charged with suspicion of obstruction stemming from unrest in Roseau on February 7, following a public meeting organized by opposition parties.
“The intimidatory arrests stem from a peaceful public meeting on February 7th in which a large portion of the Dominican population supported the Call of the parliamentary Opposition for the Resignation of the Roosevelt Skerrit lead administration,” the party said in a release. “Since then party members became the target of arrests by the police.”
Another high-ranking party member, Thomson Fontaine was also taken in custody last Sunday but was eventually released without being charged.
The party said the call for Skerrit’s resignation arises “out of the recent arrests of naturalised Dominican citizen Mr. Alie Reza Monfared of Iranian birth for the swindling of US 2.8-billion from illegal sale of Iranian oil on the world market at a time when Iran had been sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council and the United States of America.”
“Mr. Monfared, it has been reported conducted his nefarious activities out of Malaysia through his registered companies My Dominica Trade House dot com and Dominica One,” the release noted. “These sanctions busting activities by Mr. Monfared has seriously undermined Dominica’s standing in the Global community as well as jeopardized the global Security Architecture while he remained the holder of a Diplomatic passport issued by the Government of Dominica led by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.”
The party is again calling for the resignation of Skerrit, saying he “has lost his moral authority to govern Dominica” and is also calling for an “end to the political persecution of the members of the United Workers Party.”
The information which states that the majority of Dominicans voted for Skeritt is false. Do your own investigation and be a detective. Ask yourself questions and if the answer does not make sense it surely does not.
How many plane loads of Dominicans returned to vote just because they got a free trip home. They are responsible for the chaos that is going on in the country. Another concern i have is why does the media in Dominica give Anthony Astaphan such a high position. The media gave Astaphan his authority in Dominica. STOP asking the man questions he was not elected. By questioning him on Dominica affairs though he is not elected or a member to any party you have given his that power. Dominica media association need a physiologist.
they will do anything to be in power she what is going on in America, they should learn from that.
You Labour People nit know how to handle Hon. Linton. Whenever…wherever all you turn he is there. Yiur inept PM is in Guyana….Hon Linton is there and receives the proitocal of an honorable gentleman.
Try to rise to that level of politucal decency….thats where tge UWP is.
Lennox and his desperate supporters please step aside and let this beautiful country move forward.
Almost 17 years we trying to get to the next level…but allu never told us is subzero level we were headed for
The party is again calling for the resignation of Skerrit, saying he “has lost his moral authority to govern Dominica” and is also calling for an “end to the political persecution of the members of the United Workers Party.”–news article
This is a giant piece of hypocrisy!
In you all’s every word you are advocating what your intentions were on Tuesday, February 07, 2017. I am still wondering how do you into to get PM Skerrit to leave his office, without your invasion into it; if you think that this can happen for you, by your magic words–well that too is plain stupidity!
Stop making the lives of Dominican a state of distress and despair; it is that mentality of yours which needs to go.
Eh beh! Which large portion of Dominicans that support the call?
Talk about alternative facts!
Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could. (The Sound Of Music).
Roosevelt (Mugabe) Skerrit your fall has began you are now tilting tilting tilting down down down down you go.
Behind all you boisterous noise is the little boy cry. Your used you disdane for 1 man to hurt your political opponents. If you are proud of your irresponsibile behavior reality isn’t with you. You committed a heinous crime. You actions were very irresponsible. The people rejected your philosophy, therefore, you are not fighting for them. You are in the minority.
Say what…? I recognise your minir mind. Nithibg wirth reading where one can have an intelligent duscussion. You understand that word. Go ask Skerrit..he may above your level.
“In which a large portion of the Dominican population supported the call of the Parliamentary Opposition ….”
I guess that’s why these foreign correspondents write along these lines that have been baffling me?!!
I am sure they are referring only to some of the opposition. Because a larger portion of Dominicans voted for the Government as can be seen in Parliament where the Government has a large majority with 15 seats to the Opposition lesser number of 6 seats. Maybe they are giving foreign correspondents fake news to report to make them look good.
You were at the meeting regardless of your party because no one ask you to give up your party, instead you were told to have an open mind and dilute the news and press release for yourself instead of sending insult because every one of us are in the same boat, the Opposition members and supporters are not responsible for selling passport so they don’t have CBI money, Linton went after Skerrit when he kept the money that was suppose to go into our Treasury and he got it ,so why shouldn’t he go after Skerrit again to make sure that CBI fund should be in our Treasury .
The gov’t and its operative need to stop this senseless witch hunt and political victimization, so that the country can be brought back to normalcy before the festivities begins. I mean, two opposition members were questioned and released cause the ironclad intelligence Skerrit said he had about the attempted coup and the opposition paying young men to vandalized the town seems to have been dumped into the dunce bin. Leaders must know what battles to fight. As leaders, you cannot be encouraging more tension among an already edgy population by just rounding up opposition members just to have them released on charges that they were not pick up for in the first place. That’s absurb and rot with poltical victimization. As an objective Labourite, I am very disappointed and embarrassed.
Let them bury themselves!!!
It has been reported eh? Reported by whom? By you? Fellas referencing themselves.
. That’s funny.. With all these allegations of sanction busting activities and still not a single statement from the UN or the US administration.. Not a single statement of condemnation of Skerrit and his Government from the “Global Community” or members of the “Global Security Architecture.” That say a lot. I guess being a diplomat would allow you to walk into any western country with a Bomb in your diplomatic pouch undetected, as if being a diplomat would cause the intelligence agencies of these countries to completely ignore you. The US, UK and many other countries spend billions spying on their own allies and their diplomats but they would ignore a Dominican diplomat with an Arabic name. 
Stop trying to impress and mislead the less educated among us…
Your cesspit of garbage won’t cut it?Do you work in any of the organisations you mentioned?No ! So you are doggone empty!..I hope that this level of persecution and harrassment is reported by the UWP and DFP far and wide…IN THE MEANTIME,let’s ensure that we are not muzzled.
stick to music and leave the politics to the politicians. Dont put your hand in fire for what you have no proof.
U should take ur own advice!!!
Lennox please take a chill-pill and let the gentleman in you (if any) reveal itself. So far we’ve seen the warrior/fighting/angry/bitter side of you….show us the side that would allow us to respect you and perhaps have a change of heart where you are concerned.
@Green Gold February 16, 2017
Lennox Linton does not have a gentleman side; everything of this man is dark, futile, and ugly; there can be no production of “gentlemanlike” mentality from those traits