The Chiapas State Congress approved the “Ingrid Law” on Wednesday, reforms to the Penal Code to punish the distribution of images of a victim with up to six years in prison. This includes public officials, citizens, and media outlets that disseminate, photograph, copy, or publish images, videos, audios, documents, or evidence of a criminal investigation into cases of gender-based violence, femicide, and other incidents.
With the approval, the state of Chiapas became the fifth state to legislate on the protection of dignity and privacy. “The reform seeks to prevent re-victimization by protecting the privacy, memory, and dignity of victims and their families,” declared the president of the board of directors, Luis Ignacio Avendaño Bermúdez.
In welcoming the approval of the “Ingrid Law,” Alma Rosa Cariño, leader of the feminist collective 50 plus 1, stated that the reforms to the state penal code represent a significant advance in the protection of victims’ human rights by criminalizing the unauthorized dissemination of their images or sensitive information.
The majority of legislators approved the addition of Article 424 Bis to the Penal Code regarding crimes committed in the administration of justice. “The reform seeks to guarantee the dignity and respect for victims of violence, to prevent public servants from sharing information that could revictimize them,” the legislator stated.
Representative Elvira Catalina Aguiar Álvarez stated in the rostrum that the reform does not seek to restrict freedom of expression, but rather to establish consequences for officials who violate human dignity. The penalties range from two to six years in prison.
“The right to information should never be placed above the right to human dignity,” he stated, explaining that this measure aims to prevent re-victimization, discrimination, and stigmatization, especially of women, girls, boys, and adolescents.
After the Chamber of Deputies approved the reforms to the Federal Penal Code on March 23, 2022, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison for public officials who disseminate images of victims of a crime, the state of Chiapas became the fifth state to legislate with a gender perspective in the face of the increase in violence against women, girls, boys, adolescents, and people with disabilities.
The reform seeks to prevent re-victimization by protecting the privacy, memory, and dignity of victims and their families, the Morena legislator emphasized.
By protecting the memory of the victim, the right of families to a fair trial is also reinforced, with respect for their psychological well-being and without public exposure that causes them additional harm, Representative Avendaño Bermúdez emphasized in an interview.
Source: msn
