Current Affairs Chamber of Deputies approves new criminal code
An historic moment: that is how Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil described a vote in the lower house on Tuesday approving the country’s new criminal code, which will fully overhaul existing legislation from 1961. Over the last 47 years the existing code was only partially amended but its replacement will see major changes in how crimes are assessed.
The country’s new criminal code was six years in the making and if
ultimately approved will bring about a revolution in Czech courtrooms.
Under the new code, the age of criminal responsibility will be lowered,
from the age of 15 to 14, mirroring legislation in neighbouring EU
countries like Austria and Germany. On Tuesday the vote was backed by
coalition deputies but also by the opposition Social Democrats, which
Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil can chalk up as a success. He said on
Tuesday that the new legislation would better protect the interests of all
Czech citizens. Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil :
“For me the key matter was toughening the punishment for crimes affecting life and health. Until now the maximum sentence for murder was 15 years, now it will be 20. Grievous bodily harm used to be 10, now it will be 12.”
Jiří Pospíšil
Extraordinary sentences can even be handed down in particularly brutal
cases, sending individuals behind bars for up to 30 years. What’s more,
the new code recognises new crimes, not listed before, among them
stalking.
The code would also provide means of alternative punishment, such as home
detention, in cases of softer crimes. And, it differentiates between soft
and hard drugs, a proposal that was preceded by years of controversy.
All in all on Tuesday legislators were able to find common ground, with
one notable exception: MPs from the Communist Party. They strongly
criticised the bill on the grounds it would criminalise the country’s
youth – a charge rejected by its proponents. The criminal code will now
have to be passed by the Senate and then signed by the president, before
coming into effect on January 1, 2010.
