Republic of Costa Rica

Law for the Modernization of Communications Interception (No. 23,690) finalized: Legislation was finalized that expands the state’s surveillance powers, allowing courts to authorize the interception of communications for a broader range of crimes.

Appeals court annuls journalist Marlon Mora's defamation conviction: An appeals court annulled journalist Marlon Mora's March 2023 criminal defamation conviction, ordering a new trial but upholding the seizure of his assets.

Temporary suspension of 5G decree: The Administrative Litigation Court temporarily suspended Executive Decree No. 44,196 (prohibiting certain 5G providers) after Huawei appealed.

New regulation to expedite telecommunications infrastructure construction: The MICITT published a new regulation associated with Law No. 10216 to simplify technical specifications and permit processes for telecommunications infrastructure, particularly for 5G technology.

Allegations of covert government directive on state advertising: La Nación published audio recordings alleging a covert government directive to suspend state advertising in four media outlets, including CRHoy.com, raising concerns about politicized allocation of state funding.

Prosecutors reject request to stop publication of audio recordings: Prosecutors rejected President Chaves's request to stop La Nación from publishing audio recordings, citing public interest and concerns about prior censorship.

Executive Decree No. 44,196 on 5G cybersecurity measures: An executive decree was issued prohibiting companies from countries not signatories to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (e.g., Huawei) from contributing to Costa Rica’s 5G network development, citing national security risks.

Constitutional Chamber ruling on municipality restricting Facebook posts: The Constitutional Chamber ruled that the municipality of Alajuela violated freedom of expression by arbitrarily restricting an individual from sharing images on its official Facebook account.

Constitutional Chamber ruling on press freedom: The Constitutional Chamber condemned President Chaves's insults against journalists, ruling that such actions violated press freedom and could encourage harassment of the media.

Constitutional Chamber ruling on blocking users: The Constitutional Chamber ruled that public officials can block anonymous profiles using offensive language or inciting violence, but not users who criticize them, clarifying freedom of expression online.

Ley N° 9222 (Ley de Donación y Trasplante de Órganos y Tejidos Humanos) reformed 384 bis and added 384 ter: Ley N° 9222 reformed article 384 bis and added 384 ter to the Penal Code, related to illicit trafficking and extraction of human organs and tissues.

Ley N° 9177 reformed Penal Code articles 173, 173 bis, 174 and added 174 bis: Ley N° 9177 reformed articles 173, 173 bis, 174 and added 174 bis to the Penal Code, specifically addressing the production, possession, diffusion, and virtual/pseudo pornography involving minors.

Ley N° 9135 reformed Penal Code articles and added 167 bis: Ley N° 9135 reformed articles 196, 196 bis, 230, 293, 295 and added 167 bis to the Penal Code, related to sexual communication with minors by electronic means.

Ley N° 9095 (Ley contra la Trata de Personas) added/reformed Penal Code articles: Ley N° 9095 added articles 162 bis, 175 bis, 369 bis, and reformed 172, 383 of the Penal Code, addressing human trafficking.

Ley N° 9078 (Ley de Tránsito por Vías Públicas Terrestres y Seguridad Vial) reformed Penal Code articles: Ley N° 9078 reformed articles 56 bis, 110, 117, 128, 261 bis of the Penal Code, related to traffic and road safety.

Ley N° 9048 (Reforma de la Sección VIII, Delitos Informáticos y Conexos) reformed Penal Code articles: Ley N° 9048 reformed articles 167, 214, 217 bis, 229, 229 bis, added 229 ter, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, and renumbered many articles in the Penal Code, focusing on computer and related crimes.

Ley 8968 (Ley de protección de la persona frente al tratamiento de sus datos personales) effective date: The Law for the Protection of Individuals Regarding the Processing of their Personal Data became effective, guaranteeing the right to informational self-determination.

Ley N° 8961 reformed Article 7 of Penal Code: Ley N° 8961 reformed Article 7 of the Penal Code, concerning international crimes.

Ley N° 8874 added Article 161 bis to Penal Code: Ley N° 8874 added Article 161 bis to the Penal Code, allowing judges to impose absolute disqualification in addition to prison for sexual crimes against minors.

Ley 8642 (Ley General de Telecomunicaciones) effective date: The General Telecommunications Law, which obliges operators to provide open access to networks and services and guarantee secrecy and privacy of communications, became effective.

Ley N° 8590 (Fortalecimiento de la Lucha Contra La Explotación Sexual de las Personas Menores de Edad) reformed Penal Code articles: Ley N° 8590 reformed articles 156, 157, 159, 160, 161, 168, 170, 171 and added 173 bis to the Penal Code, strengthening the fight against sexual exploitation of minors.

Ley No.7899 (Ley contra la Explotación Sexual de Personas Menores de Edad) reformed Article 169 of Penal Code: Article 169 of the Penal Code, related to proxenetism, was reformed.

Ley 7339 Código de la Niñez y la Adolescencia effective date: The Code of Children and Adolescents, which allows for restrictions on online freedom of expression to protect children, became effective.

Ley 7383 (Reforma Integral de Ley Orgánica de la Jurisdicción Tutelar de Menores) reformed Article 17 of Penal Code: Article 17 of the Penal Code, concerning the application of the Code to minors, was reformed.

Ley 4573 (Código Penal) effective date: The Penal Code of Costa Rica became effective.

Ley 4573 (Código Penal) enacted: The Penal Code of Costa Rica was enacted.