Prosecution of hoaxes, higher penalties for attacks on doctors and a gram of marijuana without imprisonment. What new would Kolík’s amendment to the Criminal Code – Denník N

“We should be milder for the weaker, stricter for the stronger,” summed up the Minister of Justice Mária Kolíková (SaS club) amendment to the Criminal Code, which she presented to journalists on Wednesday.

The amendment has 59 pages and the explanatory memorandum to the law is equally extensive. Therefore, the following text does not provide a comprehensive overview of all the changes that the new Criminal Code should contain, we have decided to draw attention to at least some that may be debated.

The minister has been preparing the law for months, now he has a rather demanding comment procedure, then a discussion in the government and then a vote in parliament. This may take some time. The ministry has so far proposed that the changes take effect on June 1, 2022.

1. Penalties for hoaxes

The amendment introduces a new factual element of the crime called “dissemination of false information”. The Department of Justice says its goal is to respond to the growing amount of false information that is being produced and disseminated, especially in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, that could endanger people’s lives and health.

The Criminal Code has so far recognized the crime of “spreading an alarm message”. He punished the perpetrators who reported a false alarm to the police or authorities, who then responded with unnecessary measures. A typical example is reporting that there is a bomb in shopping malls or courts.

The new crime should punish those who produce