Punishment for public demonstration of crimes has been tightened

Public demonstration of a deliberate crime is classified as an aggravating circumstance and will now be a qualifying feature for a number of crimes. The package of legislations was adopted at the plenary session of the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic in the second final reading.

The authors of the initiative – deputies Galina Antyufeeva, Valery Babchinetsky and Oleg Petrik – consider that footage of humiliation and cruelty posted on the Internet not only insults human dignity, but can also lead to suicide.

Amendments and additions are made to the Criminal Code of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, the Code of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic on Administrative Offenses, the Law of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic "On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development", the Law of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic "On Information, Information Technologies and the Protection of Information".

An amendment has been made to the law on child protection and, according to the amendment to the second reading, paragraph 2 of Article 5 establishes that information prohibited for distribution among children includes information that “insults human dignity and public morality, expresses obvious disrespect for society, contains images of actions with signs of illegality, including violence”.

The Criminal Code has now been supplemented with clauses according to which the circumstances aggravating punishment include the public demonstration of an intentional crime, including in the media and on the Internet. For example, the public demonstration of crimes such as murder, incitement to suicide, intentional infliction of serious and moderate bodily harm, torture, threat of murder or causing serious harm, kidnapping, use of slave labor – will be recognized as an aggravating circumstance. The amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences introduce a separate offense for distributing information on the Internet that offends human dignity, as well as containing images of actions with signs of a crime, if these actions do not contain signs of a criminal offense. Large fines have been introduced for distributing photos and videos of bullying on the Internet. Violators can pay up to 4600 rubles. The sanctions are even higher: up to 5520 and 8280 for officials and legal entities, respectively.

An amendment is being made to the Law of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic "On Information, Information Technologies and the Protection of Information", according to which access to resources where footage of cruelty and violence is distributed may be restricted.

A package of 4 legislations was adopted at a plenary session of the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic in the final reading unanimously. The new rules come into force 14 days after the date of official publication.