RSNA adopts the Bill on Amendments to the Criminal Code, thus criminalizing defamation

Of the 63 MPs present, 47 supported this law, 16 were against it, no one abstained.

Before the vote on the law itself, the entity minister of Justice Miloš Bukejlović, on behalf of the proponent, made a statement about the three proposed amendments.

An amendment proposed by the clubs of representatives of the Socialist Party and the People's Party of Srpska was accepted, which defines that "whoever publicly exposes to ridicule or contempt a person or group because of belonging to a certain race, religion, nationality or ethnic origin, skin color or gender, will be fined from 2,000 to 6,000 KM".

Of the two amendments of MP Srđan Todorović (Socialist Party - NDP - SNP), one was accepted, and the other was partially accepted.

The accepted amendment reads: "whoever tells or conveys something untrue about another person, knowing that it is untrue, identifies that person to third parties in a clear way and thus causes damage to the reputation and honor of that person, will be punished with a fine in the amount of 1,000 to 3,000 KM".

During the debate on the proposed law, which took place on July 18, MPs from the opposition parties in RSNA criticized the proposed legislation. 

Also, MP Nebojša Vukanović (Justice and Order - list of Nebojša Vukanović) appealed to the parliamentary majority to abandon this "disputed bill" and to withdraw it from the agenda.

According to him, this law has disturbed not only journalists but all freedom-loving people.

MP Igor Crnadak (PDP) assessed that this is a "dangerous, harmful, bad law for the RS".

He added that "different opinions, and public criticism of the government, of any kind, has been shut down with this law in the RS."

(FENA) S. R.

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