President signs new Penal Code into law

President Václav Klaus has signed into law a new Penal Code featuring several significant changes, including reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14 and increasing sentences for serious crimes and corruption. It also classifies new crimes like stalking, certain types of drug taking in sport and animal negligence. However, the minister of justice, Jiří Pospíšil, is already planning an amendment to return the age of age of criminal responsibility to 15, at the request of the Christian Democrats, who said they would not vote for the new code otherwise.