ZAGREB, Nov 28 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament wrapped up Thursday's session with a debate of MPs on draft amendments to the Penal Code.
ZAGREB, Nov 28 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament wrapped up
Thursday's session with a debate of MPs on draft amendments to the
Penal Code. #L#
Closing the parliamentarians' discussion, Justice Minister Ingrid
Anticevic Marinovic said the purpose of the changes to the Penal
Code was to focus it on the gravest crimes and make sanctions and
punishment tougher to the effect that they might act as a
deterrent.
The minister expressed satisfaction with the fact that out of 109
articles which should be changed, only a few provisions stirred a
debate, and added that the government, which sponsored the changes,
would take count of MPs' objections.
Opposition deputies mainly criticised the changes, while
representatives from ruling parties asserted that the alterations
would improve the Penal Code.
The debate in general revolved around proposals for the
decriminalisation of the possession of small amounts of drugs, the
treatment of offending the head of state as a criminal act, the
introduction of life-long imprisonment and the sanctions for
glorification of fascism.
Jadranka Kosor of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) opposed the
decriminalisation of the possession of small quantities of
narcotics, and expressed her conviction that this move would be to
the benefit of drug dealers and accepted by young people as a
message that the consumption of drugs was acceptable behaviour.
Vesna Skare Ozbolt of the Democratic Centre (DC) believes that it is
pointless and unnecessary to treat the exposing of the President of
the Republic to ridicule as a criminal act. She said that in the case
the proposal was accepted, then also the president of the Sabor and
premier should be protected in the same way from insults.
Ante Kovacavic of the Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HKDU)
cannot accept that the extolling of fascism be publishable, and he
proposed that in this case, the glorification of communism should
be also sanctioned.
Snjezana Biga Friganovic of the Social Democrats (SDP) praised the
amendments for the introduction of sanctions for the violations of
the Labour Law and sanctions for such act as the failure to pay
salaries to workers and contributions to health and pension
insurance funds.
The Sabor resumes its session tomorrow with a debate on the state-
run portfolio and results of privatisation in 2001 and until
October this year.
(hina) ms sb