The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus adopted in the first reading a draft law on amendments to the codes on criminal liability issues.
The bill was submitted to parliament by the head of state on August 7 and provides for amendments to the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Code of Criminal Executive Code, the Code of Administrative Offenses, and the Code of Administrative Offenses.
What's in the draft law on criminal liability
According to BELTA , sanctions for 97 crimes are being revised. Sanctions for 65 crimes have been supplemented with alternative, more lenient types of punishment, and 32 have been adjusted in terms of the amount of punishment or the introduction of additional punishments (deprivation of rights, fines) on an alternative basis.
Restrictions are being introduced for the imposition of punishment in the form of imprisonment.
It is proposed not to assign such punishment to minors, first-group disabled persons, women and single men with children under the age of 14 or disabled children who have committed for the first time a crime that does not pose a great public danger/less serious crime that does not involve the use of violence/threat of its use (except for crimes of an extremist nature).
Responsibility for the illegal circulation of payment instruments is differentiated taking into account the real public danger of the actions of each participant.
Criminal liability will remain for those who distribute the details of other people's cards, while administrative liability will be introduced for those who provide the details of their own cards.
Crimes involving violation of traffic rules or operation of a vehicle, which through negligence resulted in causing serious bodily harm and were committed by a relative of the victim, are transferred to cases of private-public prosecution.
Changes are also envisaged regarding criminal liability for drug-related crimes.
Alternative, more lenient forms of punishment are being introduced: for purchase/storage without the intent to sell – arrest, for one-time cases of sale – restriction of freedom.
The minimum sentence for distribution as part of an organized group is reduced from 10 to 8 years of imprisonment.
In addition, the range of crimes for which Belarusians will be held accountable when committed abroad has been expanded.
This list includes, in particular, terrorist crimes, discrediting the country, desecration of state symbols, and insult/slander against the president.
