2023-08-07 19:20:21
The Spanish Daniel Sancho Bronchalo has been charged in Thailand with premeditated homicide, concealment and theft of body parts to cover up the death or cause of death of the Colombian Edwin Arrieta Arteaga. The chef confessed in a police interrogation Saturday to having murdered and dismembered the 44-year-old plastic surgeon. And he confirmed his testimony a day later in an interview with Agencia EFE. I am guilty, but I was Edwin’s hostage. He held me hostage. It was a glass cage, but it was a cage. He made me destroy the relationship with my girlfriend, he has forced me to do things that he would never have done, “he declared.
The Thai Justice has decreed provisional detention for the son of actor Rodolfo Sancho and actress Silvia Bronchalo for events that would have taken place last Wednesday on the small island of Koh Paghan. The 29-year-old has already entered the prison on the southern island of Koh Samui, where he will remain isolated for 10 days due to the coronavirus health protocol.
The judge has denied a request for bail, so he will not leave jail until the opening of the oral hearing. At the moment, the date of the trial has not been set, which will begin when the investigation in which Sancho intends to “collaborate in everything he can” is formally concluded, as he has done in the last hours in the work of locating and identifying the mortal remains. of Arrieta. Police have nine weeks to end the investigation. He has the testimony of the alleged murderer, but the authorities are not convinced by his version of events.
Sancho will receive a visit on Tuesday from the lawyer hired by the family to define the legal strategy. Thailand’s Penal Code provides for the “maximum death penalty” for the crimes of murder. However, it is usually commuted to life imprisonment or 20 years in prison.
The future of the Spanish chef will depend on whether or not his collaboration in the case pleases the authorities. In the worst case scenario, he would face the death penalty, as happened in 2017 with another Spanish citizen, Artur Segarra, who killed and dismembered businessman David Bernat. In his case, however, King Maha Vajiralongkorn acted, who executed the pardon. At best, he could be sentenced to a life sentence that would later be lowered and limited, an equation that would facilitate his transfer to Spain. In either case, Sancho will remain in a Thai prison for the next few months awaiting trial.
Thailand’s prison statistics show that approximately 70% of inmates are in prison for drug-related offences. The Asian country has one of the toughest laws in the world in this regard: distribution can carry the death penalty or life prison sentences, and possession carries prison sentences of up to 10 years for certain narcotic substances. However, two of the four Spaniards serving prison sentences in this country do so for blood crimes.
Thailand’s prison conditions remained “well below” international standards in 2022, according to the annual prison report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Union for Civil Liberty (UCL). ). Both organizations denounce the overcrowded conditions – prison density is 145%, according to data from Prison Insider – cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment, unsanitary conditions, inadequate access to medical care and even work in prisons. operating conditions, despite the timid improvements applied in this regard.
Other organizations also point out the limited contacts with the outside world and the lack of recreational and rehabilitation activities, mainly due to the overcrowding of prisons. For this reason, recidivism rates do not decrease progressively. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions translate into the spread of infections such as scabies and diseases such as tuberculosis. In addition, the inmates hardly receive medical attention.
“Former prisoners described inhuman and degrading treatment to which no inmate should be subjected,” said FIDH Secretary General Adilur Rahman Khan. “While the authorities have taken some positive steps to address some cases of gross mistreatment, the overall picture of prison conditions remains bleak.”
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