The crime of personal injuries according to the Criminal Code of Panama
Article 136
Anyone who, without intent to kill, causes another person bodily or psychological harm resulting in incapacity lasting between thirty and sixty days shall be subject to imprisonment for four to six years.
Article 137
The penalty shall be six to ten years of imprisonment if the injury results in:
- Incapacity exceeding sixty days.
- Deformation of the body or a visible and permanent mark on the face.
- Incurable bodily or psychological harm.
- Severe weakening or the loss of a sense, organ, or limb.
- Premature delivery of a baby.
- Impotence or the loss of the ability to procreate.
- Permanent incapacity to work.
When the injury is caused through the use of a firearm in a public area, a place frequently transited by people, or near residential zones; for trivial motives; to facilitate another criminal act; as a result of domestic violence or violence against women; to a public servant in the exercise of their duties or because of them; or if the injury is inflicted with the intent of extracting a vital organ from the victim, the penalty shall be twelve to fifteen years of imprisonment.
Article 138
If any of the injuries described in the previous articles results in the death of the victim, the penalty shall be four to eight years of imprisonment, provided that the means used and the location of the injury could not have reasonably caused death. In other cases, the perpetrator will be held accountable for homicide.
Article 138-A
Anyone who engages in psychological violence through threats, intimidation, blackmail, persecution, or harassment against a woman, or forces her to act, refrain from acting, or tolerate exploitation, threats, demands for obedience or submission, humiliations, mistreatment, isolation, or similar behaviors, shall be subject to imprisonment for five to eight years.
If the behaviors described in the previous paragraph cause psychological harm, the penalty shall be increased by one-third to half of the maximum sentence.
Article 139
Anyone who negligently causes another person an injury resulting in incapacity lasting between thirty and sixty days shall be subject to imprisonment for six months to one year, or the equivalent in daily fines or weekend detention. If the incapacity exceeds sixty days, the penalty shall be one to two years of imprisonment or the equivalent in daily fines or weekend detention.
The penalty shall be increased by half if the injury results in any of the circumstances outlined in Article 137 of this Code.
Article 140
Anyone who causes an injury to a member of the Public Forces, the Judicial Body, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Customs Authority, or other public security agencies, due to their role or as a consequence of the execution of their duties, causing incapacity not exceeding thirty days, shall be subject to two years of imprisonment.
The same penalty shall apply in cases of real, tangible, and verifiable threats against the individuals mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
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