One of the protesters who sparked riots in front of the Legislative Assembly on May 1 was sentenced to two years and 11 months, found guilty on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, threat to the public and possession of explosive material.
The Tribunal de Flagrancia del Segundo Circuito Judicial (the Flagrancy Court of the Second Judicial Circuit) handed the sentence to a young man with the last name Boza Obando.
The director of the Fuerza Publica (police), Juan José Andrade, said the decision sets a precedent because it means such incidents will not go unpunished.
On May 1, police detained 12 people for causing the disturbances during the May 1 protests. Police also confiscated a number of weapons and a homemade bomb, actions that have not been part of Costa Rica’s culture of protests.
The sentenced was commuted, meaning the young man will not be spending time in prison, but does not nullify the conviction and is conditional that he not participate in violence protests and not carry explosives.
what the article does NOT state is that the “young man” will not spend a day in jail because the sentence is under three years.
Drako, thanks for catching the error. I updated the report with “young man will not be spending time in prison”. I had missed the not.