The Penal Code would sanction police officers who prevent arrests from being recorded.

The draft Criminal Code , which is now in its final stages and was approved on first reading by the Chamber of Deputies, establishes specific sanctions against National Police officers who prevent citizens from recording actions such as arrests, searches, or raids.

If Article 286 of the law is fully approved, this practice would be punished with sentences of fifteen days to one year of minor imprisonment and fines of up to double the salary of the agent involved .

The bill, already approved by the Senate and about to be heard in the Chamber of Deputies, seeks to establish more guarantees for people deprived of their liberty or in detention proceedings in an entire section of the initiative.

One of these mechanisms is Article 285, which penalizes with imprisonment and fines agents or officials who deny a detainee their right to make a call to inform a family member or lawyer about their situation.

In these cases, the project only allows for exceptions for reasons of force majeure, such as the need to reach a safe space.

The proposal also establishes legal consequences for other forms of violations of liberty and personal security . For example, Article 287 punishes with minor imprisonment those who arbitrarily order or carry out acts that violate individual liberty, while Article 288 refers to officials who, having knowledge and authority to stop an unlawful deprivation of liberty, fail to intervene.

Another point of the bill is Article 289, which punishes prison officials who detain a person without a court order or illegally extend their prison time with up to three years in prison.

The articles are contained in a whole section that talks about abuses of public authority .

Changes

The original bill, which had already been approved by a legislative committee, established a penalty for unjustified inspections of motor vehicles .

The former Article 293 punished with imprisonment from fifteen days to one year any police officer, soldier or civil servant who searches a vehicle without a warrant , without probable cause, outside the provisions authorized by law and against the driver's will.

However, before being approved on first reading in the Senate, the sanction was removed at the request of the Attorney General's Office .

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