Criminal non-reproachability of expert witnesses in Paraguay: legal and social implications

Authors

  • Guillermo Agustín Britez Mercado. MSc No
    Competing Interests

    The author declares no conflict of interest related to the subject of this research.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66744/amzdet78

Keywords:

Forensic Medicine, criminal responsibility, Paraguay, procedural law

Abstract

The expert function in criminal justice requires normative guarantees that safeguard the impartial and technical exercise of court-appointed assistants. The objective of this article is to analyze the legal and social implications of the criminal non-reproachability of legal acts performed by forensic expert witnesses in the Republic of Paraguay. The research corresponds to a qualitative, legal-documentary approach, with a non-experimental design and descriptive-explanatory scope. The technique of documentary review was applied to national legislation, doctrine, jurisprudence, and international regulations, complemented by a comparative law analysis with the systems of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, respecting ethical principles of academic integrity, proper citation of sources, and observance of current APA standards. The results evidence that the criminal non-reproachability of expert witnesses does not constitute a personal privilege, but rather a prerequisite of functional independence grounded in regional doctrine, the absence of which exposes experts to punitive pressures and legal uncertainty. It was concluded that the legal coverage of non-reproachability constitutes an indispensable guarantee for strengthening scientific objectivity, legal certainty, and public trust in the Paraguayan criminal justice system.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Guillermo Agustín Britez Mercado. MSc, No

     

    Guillermo Agustín Brítez Mercado is a Medical Doctor and Surgeon graduated from the Catholic University of Asunción. He is also an Attorney-at-Law from Universidad Americana, with postgraduate studies in Criminal Procedural Law and a Master’s degree in Forensic Sciences. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor and Expert Lecturer in Criminology at Universidad Americana and is a court-registered medical expert before the Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay. His research interests include criminal law, forensic medicine, and forensic sciences.

References

Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas. (1948). Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos.

Código Procesal Penal de la República del Paraguay, Ley n.° 1286/1998.

Constitución Nacional de la República del Paraguay. (1992). Asunción, Paraguay.

Corte Suprema de Justicia de Paraguay. (2019). Reglamento de actuación de peritos forenses. Dirección de Medicina Legal.

Donna, E. A. (2010). Derecho penal: parte general (Vol. 1). Rubinzal-Culzoni.

Duce, M. (2018). Prueba pericial y su impacto en los errores del sistema de justicia penal: antecedentes comparados y locales para iniciar el debate. Ius et Praxis, 24(2), 223–262. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-00122018000200223

Greco, R. (2017). Curso de direito penal: parte geral (19.ª ed.). Impetus.

Jakobs, G. (2003). Derecho penal: parte general. Marcial Pons.

Ley n.° 1160/1997. Código Penal de la República del Paraguay.

Ley Orgánica del Poder Judicial de la República del Paraguay, Ley N.° 879/1981.

López, J. (2018). La función del perito forense en el derecho comparado. Editorial Jurídica Continental.

Matus, J. P. (2014). Derecho penal: parte general. Thomson Reuters.

Naciones Unidas. (2022). Directrices sobre la función de los peritos judiciales en los sistemas de justicia. Estándares internacionales de actuación.

Roxin, C. (2000). La evolución de la política criminal, el derecho penal y el proceso penal. Tirant lo Blanch.

Silva, M. (2020). Responsabilidad de los peritos en el proceso penal latinoamericano. Revista Latinoamericana de Derecho Procesal, 12(3), 45–63.

Silva Sánchez, J. M. (2011). La expansión del derecho penal: aspectos de la política criminal en las sociedades postindustriales (3.ª ed.). Civitas.

Additional Files

Published

2026-08-31

Data Availability Statement

The present article is made available for scientific development and advancement, with the request that proper citation be duly provided.

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 16 (2026): Revista jurídica. Investigación en ciencias jurídicas y sociales

Section

Artículo Original

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Legal journal - Research in Legal and Social Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and initial publication in Magazine.
  2. This journal provides open access to its content, based on the principle that providing the public with free access to research supports a greater global exchange of knowledge."

How to Cite

Criminal non-reproachability of expert witnesses in Paraguay: legal and social implications. (2026). Legal Journal - Research in Legal and Social Sciences, 3(16), 103-115. https://doi.org/10.66744/amzdet78