Despite the tightening of laws to punish cruelty against animals, the competent authorities do not apply punishments to the aggressors.
What law imposes penalties for animal cruelty in Yucatan and up to how many years of prison?
Last year, the Congress of Yucatan approved the “Rulfo Law” that punishes with up to 10 years in prison any person who commits acts of cruelty or death to an animal, whether domestic or wild.
The initiative was named “Rulfo Law” for a dog that was cruelly killed in August 2023.
At that time, Yucatecan society demanded a severe punishment for the person accused of decapitating the dog.
According to the International Institute for Global Security Studies (Iniseg), criminology experts relate animal abuse with the extreme violence that humans can develop, also in interpersonal and social spheres.
Authorities do not investigate cases of animal abuse in Yucatan
In this regard, according to the local representative of the “Green Party” (PVEM), Harry Rodríguez Botello Fierro, “a lot of progress has been made” in terms of legislation.
However, the law is not applied, since attacks against animals continue to be recorded and activists claim that the authorities downplay the investigations of the cases.
From 2022 to 2024, more than 600 complaints for animal cruelty were made and only one sentence was issued.
The legislator said that it is only necessary to apply the law since, in fact, the authority has been empowered to arrest a person in the act.
“It is not necessary to increase penalties, just apply the law; in addition to having empathy with pets,” he finally said.
What is the “Rulfo Law” about?
In March 2024, local legislators approved a reform to the local Penal Code, to prosecute and punish the crime of animal cruelty in the State Penal Code, establishing the conduct that constitutes it and imposing sanctions of up to 10 years in prison.
The increase in penalties restricts the possibility of people accused of animal cruelty to access a conditional suspension of the judicial process, requiring a trial and a sentence to be issued.
However, despite this law, there are complaints that impunity continues in Yucatan for animal abuse, since out of more than 600 complaints, there is only one sentence.
TYT Newsroom
