Threat Crime

The crime of threats is included in articles 169 and following of our penal code.

The conduct consists of threatening another with causing him or his family or persons with whom he is intimately linked, an act consisting on a crime of homicide, injury, abortion, against freedom, torture and against moral integrity, sexual freedom, intimacy, honor, patrimony and socioeconomic order. The prison sentence will be from one to five years if the threat is to obtain an amount of money, or a condition and such purpose has been achieved. The penalty shall be from six months to three years if the objective has not been achieved. If the threat has been made without demanding anything in return, a penalty of six months to two years shall be imposed.

In cases where the threat is aimed at frightening the inhabitants of a population, ethnic, cultural or religious group, or social or professional group, or any other group of persons, and is serious enough to achieve it, higher penalties shall be imposed respectively.

It is also considered a crime of threat the conduct consisting of demanding something under the threat of revealing facts concerning his or his family’s personal life that may affect his fame. The penalty will be from two to four years of imprisonment if the objective is achieved, and from four months to two years, in the opposite case.

When the victim is a woman with whom the perpetrator has had or has some affective relationship even without cohabitation, and the perpetrator threatens her in a minor way, he shall be punished with imprisonment of six months to one year or work for the benefit of the community. The same penalty shall be imposed on anyone who slightly threatens a vulnerable person with whom he lives.

Whoever slightly threatens a third party, shall be punished with a fine of one to three months.