Congresswoman Karina Olivas Parra, of the Labor Party (PT), presented a bill to create the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Crimes Against Animals in Baja California Sur. This office would be responsible for receiving and processing complaints related to this type of crime.
If approved, this institution would be under the jurisdiction of the State Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) and would be responsible for establishing and strengthening cooperation and collaboration mechanisms with federal, state, and municipal authorities within its jurisdiction.
According to the bill presented to the plenary session of the 17th Legislature of the State Congress, the aim is for this prosecutor’s office to promote training and specialization in animal protection and welfare rights, as well as citizen participation.
“The constitutional recognition of animals as sentient beings should not be limited to a programmatic declaration; on the contrary, it demands the construction of effective institutional mechanisms that allow for the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of crimes committed against them,” the congresswoman argued in her statement of purpose.
Karina Olivas reminded everyone that in Baja California Sur, animal abuse is already a crime defined in the Penal Code, with penalties ranging from six months to three years in prison and fines for those who commit acts of cruelty or mistreatment against domestic animals.
She emphasized that the Penal Code also includes aggravating circumstances when the injuries endanger the animal’s life, cause its death, or are linked to particularly serious offenses, such as organizing dog fights.
“However, the existence of criminal offenses is not enough when the institutions responsible for investigating these crimes lack specialized departments, trained personnel, specific protocols, and adequate technical resources to comprehensively address complaints,” she insisted.
Furthermore, the legislator stressed that crimes against animals often face obstacles stemming from the fragmentation of jurisdictions, the lack of specialized prosecutorial expertise, insufficient training in forensic veterinary medicine, and the absence of coordination mechanisms with municipal authorities, animal protection associations, and animal welfare specialists.
“The creation of a Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes against Animals responds precisely to the need to strengthen the State’s institutional capacity to address this phenomenon from a comprehensive perspective of justice, prevention and social protection,” he declared.
Source: zetatijuana
