Felipe Medrano, Director of the Department of Cultural Promotion at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, was reportedly arrested by members of the Forgery Investigation Department of the National Police on 16 January 1992. He was allegedly held in the Palacio de la Policia Nacional on forgery charges until 24 January, when the charges were dropped and he was released. Professor Medrano has alleged that he was beaten during his detention; he described this torture in an open letter to President Joaquin Balaguer published in the newspaper El Nacional on 13 February 1992. The medical director of the Hospital Dr Dario Contreras stated in a certificate issued on 31 January 1992 that Professor Medrano had suffered severe injuries to the buttocks and lower back.
