Executive Rejected the BCS Deputies’ Initiative to Increase the Penalties for Defamation, as “Inopportune”
The government considers the legislative initiative developed by a group of deputies from the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS) parliamentary fraction to increase the number of sanctions for insult and slander to be inappropriate. The decision on the negative opinion on the mentioned draft law was adopted on July 22nd.
“Considering the need to protect freedom of expression, the promoted trends regarding the possibility that the person can only be held civilly liable, as well as the approaches of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to decriminalize slander, the proposal to increase the sanction is to be treated with maximum attention, substantiated and additionally examined through the need and opportunity of the proposed changes”, the Government’s opinion mentions.
“We consider that the given initiative is inopportune”, stated the Minister of Justice, Sergiu Litvinenco during the Government meeting. Members of the Government supported this position.
We remind you that at the end of April, a group of BCS deputies drafted a bill that provided for the tightening of sanctions in the event of defamation and the spread of false and defamatory information, including on social networks. The authors argued that “the established fines and the confidence that they will not be punished, allow the users of these networks to insult and use slander against the person or group of people without bearing any responsibility”. They also drew attention to the fact that “there are countries where if you end up slandering someone you will be punished according to the Penal Code”.
