In recent years the image of Costa Rica has been affected by tourist killings, and for such, different fractions of the Legislative Assembly propose that the penalties be stronger.
Experts in the field of criminal law assure that there is a bill in the works, that could be presented as early as a few weeks, to reform the Penal Code (Codigo Penal), so that harsher penalties be imposed on those who commit crimes again tourists.
In addition, this proposal would also serve as a response to the insecurity alert by the U.S. against Costa Rica at the beginning of the year.
Many, criminal lawyers, security experts and some legislators believe now is a good time for tourists returning post-COVID-19 to find more robust regulations.
Tourist homicides is becoming a problem of tourist homicides, even prompting the U.S. State Department to issue an alert. Tougher legislation would reverse the alert and make the tourist visiting the country feel safer.
In the last couple of years, the country has faced the murder of tourists Carla Stefaniak, Arantxa Gutiérrez and María Trinidad Matus. They came from the United States, Spain, and Mexico, respectively.
Of the three cases, only the killer of Carla Stefaniak has been tried and convicted to 16 years in prison, a sentence many fell is not deterrent enough. In the two other cases, the accused are expected to face trial by the end of the year.
