Argentine President Javier Milei has unveiled a sweeping proposal to reform the country’s Penal Code, introducing harsher prison terms for a broad range of crimes and lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 13.

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Presenting the initiative at Ezeiza prison outside Buenos Aires, Milei framed the plan as a “zero tolerance” approach to crime. “If we succeed in approving these reforms, those who commit crimes will truly pay, and law-abiding Argentines will live in a safer society,” he declared.

The announcement comes less than a month before the October 26 legislative elections. Milei urged voters to back candidates willing to support the reform in Congress, saying lawmakers must stand “on the side of the victims and not on the side of the criminals.”

Expanded Penalties and New Offenses

The proposed changes would increase sentences for aggravated homicide from 10 to 30 years and introduce life imprisonment for murders committed by violent fan groups in public spaces. Carrying firearms or bladed weapons would carry mandatory prison terms without the possibility of bail.

The bill would also expand penalties for robbery, drug trafficking, human trafficking, organized crime, extortionate kidnapping, child pornography, pyramid schemes, virtual kidnappings, harassment, perjury, and threats.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, who is also a Senate candidate, described the proposal as a “zero tolerance code” that updates the legal framework to address crimes Argentines “suffer daily.” She noted that filing false accusations in cases involving sexual crimes or child visitation disputes would be classified as a criminal offense.

Public corruption offenses would also carry stiffer penalties, with harsher sentences for officials convicted while serving or having served as president, vice president, minister, governor, judge, or legislator.

Lowering the Age of Criminal Responsibility

One of the most contentious elements of the reform is the reduction of the age of criminal responsibility. Bullrich defended the proposal by pointing to cases of adolescents involved in violent crime. “Today we see how narcos use ‘little soldiers,’ how 14- or 15-year-olds kill and then return home as if nothing happened. That is why we are proposing to reduce the age of criminal responsibility to 13,” she said.

Current Argentine law prohibits prosecuting minors under 16. Those between 16 and 18 can only be charged if the offense carries a sentence of more than two years.

Removing Statutes of Limitations

The government also proposed eliminating the statute of limitations for several serious crimes, making them imprescriptible. These include aggravated homicide, sexual offenses, child corruption, promotion of prostitution, human trafficking, extortionate kidnapping, attacks on constitutional order and democratic institutions, terrorism, and drug trafficking.

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