Overview
- The Permanent Committee approved the draft law in a second vote on Thursday, July 9, with 14 votes in favor and nine against.
- The text creates a new chapter in the Penal Code that makes an act a crime against humanity only when it is part of a generalized or systematic attack on a civilian population committed with knowledge and intent.
- The draft lists specific conducts that may qualify, including qualified homicide, human trafficking, kidnapping, sexual violence, enforced disappearance and torture.
- If promulgated, the law would apply immediately to cases already in process and to convictions under review, a change that could alter ongoing trials and appeals where the figura de lesa humanidad has been invoked.
- Reports differ on penalties in the approved text—some outlets cite 15–30 years while others report 30 years to life—so final sanctions will depend on the official published law.