| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico 
Mexico’s Senate Approves Harsher Penalties After Kidnappings
 Adriana Lopez Caraveo & Jonathan J. Levin - Bloomberg
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May 01, 2010
Mexico’s Senate approved a law that establishes prison sentences of as much as 60 years for kidnappers and creates a fund to support victims’ families using resources seized from criminals.
Jail terms under the new law start at a 15 years and increase if the victim is under the age of 18 or over 60. Members of the military who commit the crime face a 25-year minimum sentence.
The law also creates a fund to redistribute money and property seized from drug traffickers, kidnappers and money- laundering rings to abduction victims and their families. Lawmakers approved the bill unanimously with 91 votes.
Residents of the northern city of Monterrey are “on tenterhooks,” fearing for their safety, according to Marcelo Canales, president of an industry group in northern Nuevo Leon state. He spoke after 12 people were killed and four hotel guests were kidnapped in a series of separate attacks April 21.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon deployed the military to counter drug gangs after taking office in December 2006. About 22,700 people have been killed since the beginning of his administration in violence related to organized crime, according to newspaper El Universal.
To contact the reporters on this story: Adriana Lopez Caraveo in Mexico City at adrianalopez(at)bloomberg.net; Jonathan Levin in Mexico City at jlevin20(at)bloomberg.net
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