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Costa Rica: Update to CRI35539.E of 25 October 2000 on the existence of witness protection programs for those who testify against alleged organized crime members; availability of protection to a witness of a crime who reports it to the police or assists the police in their investigation (2001-2002)

An article in El Heraldo of 12 July 2002 reported that a witness protection plan is on a list of future projects for the Public Force (Fuerza Publica). Walter Navarro, the Director of the Public Force, noted that while Costa Rica is "not a country that urgently needs" (no es un pais que tenga necesidad imperiosa) to put in motion a witness protection program, a plan will be developed as a preventative measure (El Heraldo 12 July 2002). According to Navarro, this plan is an "ambitious" (ambicioso) project that will have a considerable financial cost and will require reforms to the legal and judicial framework of the country (ibid.). That said, Navarro expects the process to ratify the plan will be very slow because the Legislative Assembly will need to review and approve it (ibid.).

In the meantime, Navarro admitted that although the current measures for police protection are "lacking at the moment" (carecemos en este momento), the process of building a witness protection program has begun (ibid.).

With regard to the availability of protection to a witness of a crime who reports it to the police or assists the police in their investigation, information was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. In a report of 5 December 2002, Casa Alianza stated that its investigative work, which led to the arrest and prosecution of five members of a pedophile ring, had made the organization the target of hundreds of anonymous phone calls threatening to assassinate the staff member who was in charge of the investigation. Apparently, police protection was only obtained after "a tremendous international outcry," at which point the authorities appointed a 24-hour guard to the Casa Alianza staff member (Casa Alianza 5 Dec. 2002). For more information about this pedophile case, please refer to CRI40049.E of 20 December 2002.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Casa Alianza. 5 December 2002. "Historic Sentence Against Child Abusers in Costa Rica." <http://www.casa-alianza.org/EN/lastminute/120520022.shtml> [Accessed 17 Jan. 2003]

El Heraldo [San Jose]. 12 July 2002. "Plan de proteccion a testigos en panales." <http://ticos.centramerica.com/noticias/detalle.asp?Id=136> [Accessed 15 Jan. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB databases

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites:

AM Costa Rica [San Jose]

Central America Report [Guatemala City]

Costa Rica, Casa Presidencial

Country Reports

Freedom House

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Inter-American Press Association

La Nacion [San Jose]

Latinamericapress.org

Social Watch

Tico Times [San Jose]

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