What are the exact statutory penalties for bestiality in Sweden, Italy, Iceland, Thailand, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Guatemala?
Executive summary
A single secondary report reviewed for this brief states that Sweden moved to outlaw bestiality within the six years prior to that article’s publication, and that some other countries (and U.S. states) have done the same while others still permit it under existing law [1]. The available reporting does not include the exact statutory texts or penalty schedules for Sweden, Italy, Iceland, Thailand, Costa Rica, Bolivia, or Guatemala, so precise criminal penalties cannot be stated from the supplied material [1].
1. What the single source actually says about bans and legality
The Listverse piece notes, broadly, that Denmark, Sweden and a few U.S. states had outlawed bestiality within the six years leading up to its publication and that in “some other countries” the act remained legal, framing the topic as part of a list of shocking but variably criminalized behaviors worldwide [1]. That reporting is descriptive rather than statutory: it signals that legislative change has occurred in at least some jurisdictions but does not quote or summarize specific penal code provisions, maximum sentences, fines, or statutory article numbers for any country named [1].
2. Why the current material cannot deliver “exact statutory penalties”
The user’s request asks for exact statutory penalties by country, which requires primary-law citations (criminal code articles, penalty ranges, amendments and dates). The provided article is a tertiary/popular summary and does not supply those legal texts, penalty figures, or citations to statutes or government publications, therefore it is insufficient to answer the question with the required legal precision [1]. Stating precise penalties without primary sources would overreach the evidence in hand; responsible reporting must instead identify gaps and recommend how to close them [1].
3. What would be required to answer fully and reliably
To compile exact statutory penalties for Sweden, Italy, Iceland, Thailand, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Guatemala, one needs the current criminal codes or penal statutes for each country (including any recent amendments that criminalized bestiality), official legislative histories or government gazettes, and reliable translations where necessary; none of those documents are provided in the available material [1]. Comparative legal databases, official government statute repositories, or law journals in each jurisdiction are the appropriate next steps to obtain the article numbers, sentence ranges, monetary penalties and any aggravating/mitigating conditions [1].
4. How readers should interpret the Listverse claim and possible hidden agendas
The Listverse piece is a popular “top-10” style compilation intended to provoke and inform general readers; such outlets often prioritize striking claims over exhaustive legal citation, which risks oversimplification or omitting nuances like distinctions between animal cruelty laws and sex-crime statutes [1]. The lack of specific statutory references suggests an editorial aim to shock and engage readers rather than provide a legal resource, so its statements should be treated as signposts for further legal verification rather than definitive law [1].
5. Recommended next steps for precise answers
Obtain the criminal codes or penal statutes for each named country—Sweden, Italy, Iceland, Thailand, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Guatemala—from official government websites or authoritative legal databases, check for recent amendments specifically criminalizing sexual acts with animals, and extract the exact articles and penalty ranges; because the supplied article does not contain those texts, the precise penalties cannot be reproduced here from the available source [1]. Where translation or interpretation of statutory language is required, consult legal professionals or academic commentary in the relevant jurisdiction to ensure penalties are current and correctly contextualized [1].