User talk:90.64.71.231
Hello, could you explain me how is my edit disruptive? It is literally just rewriting and updating the text. --90.64.71.231 (talk) 00:16, 19 February 2024 (UTC)
- Sorry. Please report this to False reports notice board. AlphaBetaGammsh (talk) 00:18, 19 February 2024 (UTC)
New text: In December 2023, the Fourth Cabinet of Robert Fico introduced an amendment to the Criminal Code. The government proposed that the bill be debated in a fast-track legislative procedure, arguing that the status quo leads to human rights violations. The amendment included scrapping the Special Prosecutor's Office dealing with high-level corruption and lowering penalties for financial crimes. The fast-track legislative procedure faced widespread criticism from the parliamentary opposition, President Zuzana Čaputová, the European Commission and non-governmental organizations, resulting in a weeks-long opposition parliamentary obstruction and a series of demonstrations.
Critics have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest within the government coalition. They have noted that several accused members of the coalition parties, including the bill's rapporteur, MP Tibor Gašpar of Smer, could be directly affected by the proposed lowering of penalties. Additionally, their cases are overseen by the Special Prosecutor's Office, which the amendment would abolish. The coalition government introduced the amendment, citing the need to shift towards a rehabilitative approach to justice, update the criminal code, and align with European Union standards. Proponent of the law, the Ministry of Justice led by Boris Susko of Smer published the brochure 'Overview of Violations of the Principles of the Rule of Law in the Years 2020–2023.'
The amendment was finally approved by the National Council on 8 February 2024. The final proposal also included a reduction of the statute of limitations in rape cases from 20 to 10 years, which again caused widespread criticism from the parliamentary opposition, President Zuzana Čaputová and non-governmental organizations. The government defended the reduction of the limitation period by motivating victims to report rape earlier, possibly allowing a return to the 20-year limitation period in the next amendment after the approval of the law.
President Zuzana Čaputová signed the law on 16 February, verbally clearly expressing her opposition to its content..The President argued that by signing the law instead of vetoing it, she wants to create enough time for the Constitutional Court to decide on her submission challenging the constitutionality of the law. As of February 2024, the Constitutional Court is expected to make its decision following the publication of the law in the collection of laws by the Ministry of Justice.
Old text: In December 2023, Smer introduced a set of legal reforms.
It comprehends the abolition of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, whose activities the party has harshly criticized since its return to the opposition in 2020. The party argues that the aim of the reform is to eliminate presumed inconsistencies in the prosecution system and the alleged systemic bias of the institution. In a review for the government, Eduard Burda, dean of the Comenius University Law Faculty stated that a criminal group may be operating within Office of the Special Prosecutor and it must be checked. According to him, the office is a potential criminogenic factor, its prosecutors have a low quality of decision-making and there are suspicions of manipulation of criminal proceedings.
Radoslav Procházka, a lawyer and former politician is critical of the reform: "The optics are very bad, because instead of an extensive debate, this substantial change is to be adopted via an expedited procedure. If it passes, it is likely to reduce the speed and intensity of an important tool in fighting corruption. Nevertheless, a lot will depend on what the prosecutor general will do next with all the cases transferred to his office." Christian Wigand, the European Commission's spokesperson for rule of law expressed the Commission's disapproval of the fast-track procedure of introducing the reform: "The wide-ranging scope of the intended amendments and the numerous areas of EU law concerned require a thorough and sound analysis. This is why, in this letter, we have asked the Slovak government not to advance on the intended amendments as yet, and especially not to resort to a fast-track procedure without proper and thorough consultation." Daniel Lipšic, the incumbent special prosecutor interprets the reform as an attempt to halt investigations into individuals connected to the party: "What did change since 2020 is that this office has prosecuted or started prosecuting also very high-profile corruption and economic crime cases, which means that very influential politicians and people from business – including some very well-known oligarchs – are being prosecuted." The group of critics of the reform also includes Zuzana Čaputová, the incumbent President of Slovakia, the parliamentary opposition, and various NGOs, including the Slovak branch of Transparency International.[1]
The set of reforms also includes the liberalization of the Slovak penal policy, which is generally considered stricter compared to other countries of the European Union. However, the motivation for the change has been questioned, as a number of its members are accused of criminal activity, while several individuals associated with the party have been convicted.
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