Abkhazia's parliament resists tightening penalties for 'slander and insults' against authorities
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 $2,000] 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.
In response to this devastating criticism, the Prosecutor General’s Office stated: “As many lawyers as there are, there are as many opinions.” The president’s representative declined to comment.
The majority of deputies were critical of several points, including:
- The overly vague interpretation of terms in the document,
- In the interpretation of the term “defamation,” it is not specified that it is done intentionally.
Following the committee meeting, deputies did not recommend the adoption of this bill. However, it will still be presented at the parliamentary session, most likely next week.
Commentaries:
Opposition MP Kan Kvarchia: “North Korea is taking a break.”
MP Rezo Zantaraia: “How will we apply the law? Are unfulfilled promises by officials considered lies or not?“
Political analyst Tengiz Jopua: “Without a defamation law, the president won’t secure a second term in office. He won’t be able to hoodwink voters again. Eventually, his eternal wandering from Sukhum to Moscow in search of business partners will come to an end.“
Journalist from Abaza-TV, Nadezhda Borovikova: “I recall the case during the trial of [Donetsk Republic hero, military commander] Akhrik Avidzba, where they tried to add a charge of incitement to overthrow the government for the phrase ‘screw these bastards.’ The lawyer rightly asked whether this accusation implies that the prosecution considers the words ‘bastards’ and ‘government’ as synonyms. To prevent such cases, it would be better for government representatives to learn to accept criticism calmly rather than seeking ways to defend themselves from the opinions of the people they are supposed to serve.“
Journalist Inal Khashig: “It’s quite strange when in a country where pensions are 500 rubles [about $5], 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.”
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