Abkhazia insults against authorities amendments
In Abkhazia, lawmakers have not recommended adopting amendments to the Criminal Code to tighten penalties for defamation and insults. This is the second time the executive branch has proposed such amendments. The first time, the initiative came from the Prosecutor General’s Office, but parliament rejected it. Now, a similar proposal has been put forward by the president’s administration. In both cases, the focus of the stricter penalties primarily targets defamation and insults against the government.
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The president’s administration proposes imprisonment ranging from three to seven years, along with a fine of 200,000 rubles (approximately $2000) for defamation and insults against officials.
While the Prosecutor General’s Office supports this initiative, the Ombudsman’s Office believes such amendments will lead to mass criminal cases for spreading inaccurate information. A representative from the Ombudsman’s Office criticized the bill on almost all points.
Most lawmakers highlight the loose interpretation of terms and the vagueness of definitions in the proposed legislation.
Some Abkhazian activists shared their opinions on social media:
“Without a defamation law, they won’t be able to feed more lies to the voters“;
“It would be better for government officials to learn to accept criticism calmly rather than seek ways to defend themselves from the opinions of people they are supposed to serve“.
Following the parliamentary committee meeting on April 19, lawmakers did not recommend the bill for adoption. However, it will still be brought up for discussion at the parliament session next week.
Comment from JAMnews editor, Chief Editor of “Chegemskaya Pravda” newspaper, Inal Khashig:
“It’s quite strange when in a country where pensions are 500 rubles [just over $5], and where social policy is objectively at its lowest level, such a large fine is introduced for insulting the authorities, who drive around in jeeps with security guards.
I could understand if the Criminal Code included articles providing for punishment of the authorities for unfulfilled promises.
But now the government is just trying to silence its citizens. And this only means that the government is completely incompetent and urgently needs to step down.”
Abkhazia insults against authorities amendments
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