An employee of the municipality of Cachi was filmed killing her cat on July 9. Following a complaint, the woman was charged with animal cruelty. This week, through an agreement, reparative measures were imposed on her. While acts of cruelty against animals continue to be committed, the “Conan Law” is being debated nationally, aiming to toughen penalties for such behaviors.
The prosecutor Daniel Escalante intervened in this case, which originated from a report filed at the 1st Police Station in Cachi on July 9 by a tourist from the province of Córdoba. The complainant, who was renting a cabin in the Fuerte Alto area, stated that a neighbor had killed a cat by strangling it. The police obtained a video from an unidentified person that showed the reported incident, leading to the identification of the accused.
Attorney Carmen Cartagena Céspedes, legal representative of the Ajuya Jalala Foundation, contacted the prosecutor that same day to inform him of the case and request his intervention. The following day, she presented herself as a plaintiff.
That weekend, the accused was arrested. In the charges, Prosecutor Escalante explained that Law 14.346 protects animals as “subjects of rights” and emphasized that the accused’s behavior affected a living being capable of suffering, not an object. He cited recent studies and jurisprudence that recognize certain animals as “non-human persons”, deserving of basic rights such as not being tortured or mistreated; he quoted Chamber II of the Federal Chamber of Cassation, which recently affirmed that animals must be protected. In another case, the official also expressed a similar view.
Cartagena Céspedes told Salta/12 that the defense attorney for the accused proposed an agreement to seek probation, a suspended sentence, and asked if the plaintiff had any special requirements “understanding that this is a primary offender with no prior record”. The attorney stated that the woman had the possibility of accessing this benefit and accepted the agreement, although she requested “certain measures”.
The plaintiff and the defense agreed this week that the accused will pay for 30 cat neuterings for stray cats in Cachi, carried out by a designated veterinarian. Additionally, the Cold Snouts Association Cachi will conduct checks on the condition of other animals in the care of the accused, including sanitation and vaccination measures, and sterilization if necessary, to prevent reproduction.
All these measures were requested by Cartagena Céspedes, but the attorney also had requested that the accused be prohibited from owning animals. “Additionally, she will take an animal law course with me virtually,” she pointed out.
As part of the reparative measures, the woman must create a mural to raise awareness and inform about the rights of animals and their legal protection, on a wall designated by the Municipality of Cachi.
The “Conan Law”
Since July 3, the “Conan Law” has been debated in the National Chamber of Deputies in honor of the dog owned by President Javier Milei, of which he claims to have cloned his current dogs. Although in his case he did not follow the “don’t buy, adopt” approach promoted by animal rights organizations, the president is interested in imposing harsher penalties for animal cruelty and supports the legislative proposal presented by national deputy Damián Arabia (PRO).
The project seeks to update the current legislation on animal cruelty, increasing penalties and establishing new sanctions for those who commit acts of cruelty and abandonment of animals.
Cartagena Céspedes participated with the Animal Justice Anti-Speciesist Association in drafting a statement that they provided to the legal advisors of the legislator who promoted the bill.
“We made all the necessary contributions, prepared a statement, and considered that there were many points to analyze but we focused mainly on the penalties that should be imposed in cases of animal cruelty and mistreatment,” said the attorney. The Association proposed a much higher maximum penalty than that contemplated by the project, “at least 8 years, with aggravating factors and crimes not foreseen in 14.346 and not in this (proposed) law,” noted Cartagena Céspedes.
Arabia’s project proposes that anyone who mistreats or subject animals to acts of cruelty be punished with imprisonment from 6 months to 5 years, with fines ranging from five to 30 times the value of the Minimum Vital and Mobile Wage.
Cartagena Céspedes stated that she would add to the Conan Law “that issues related to equines should not be overlooked, since Law 14.346 included several articles to prevent mistreatment of that type of animal.” “Furthermore, we continue to be in touch with the legal advisors to see if we can incorporate some more points. Besides the matter concerning equines, we also talked about adding other crimes that are not addressed in the project,” she explained.
The attorney noted that if the Conan Law is approved, Law 14.346 would become invalid. “I don’t know if fines are effective since there will be people convicted of animal cruelty who will pay a fine and others who won’t be able to because of their financial situation. Thus, that point may not be very convenient from my perspective,” she analyzed.
“I believe there could be thousands of laws; the issue is not whether there are rules prohibiting or allowing actions. The real issue is that individuals must be aware and understand that they need to respect the life of a living being and adapt to the rules,” she reflected. She also pointed out that if this project is approved, individuals who commit acts of cruelty or mistreatment towards animals will “be able to be effectively sentenced since we are raising the maximum sentence from 1 year to 5 years, so the sentences will be effectively enforceable and not suspended as they are currently.”