Colombia introduces harsher sentences for acid attacks

The Colombian Senate has passed a law which will impose harsher sentences on people who commit acid attacks. Anyone convicted of harming another with a chemical agent will now serve between 12 and 50 years in prison. In Colombia, an estimated 100 people per year are attacked with acid, but so far only a handful […]

The Colombian Senate has passed a law which will impose harsher sentences on people who commit acid attacks.
Anyone convicted of harming another with a chemical agent will now serve between 12 and 50 years in prison.
In Colombia, an estimated 100 people per year are attacked with acid, but so far only a handful of perpetrators have been convicted.
The law is named after Natalia Ponce, who was severely disfigured by an acid attack in March 2014.
Under the new law, those who “use any type of chemical agent” to hurt someone will be jailed for between 12 and 20 years, but the sentence can increase to up to 50 years in prison for those who permanently disfigure their victim.
Ms Ponce thanked the legislature for pushing the law through.