Zilinka: SNS's Criminal Code Amendment Irresponsible and Short-sighted

Bratislava, 13 January (TASR) - The amendment to the Criminal Code concerning extremism-related crimes that has been drawn up by coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) MPs is irresponsible and short-sighted, Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka stated on Tuesday, adding that he sees no factual or reasonable grounds for the proposed changes, while adopting them would represent a major step backwards in the fight against extremism. "The amendment envisages serious changes that have been proposed without any expert debate or analysis. Compared to corruption, I view extremism as an equally serious, if not more serious, threat to society. I see no factual or reasonable grounds for the proposed changes. Adopting them would represent a major step backwards in the fight against extremism, which would lead to the dismantling of democratic values. I consider the proposed legislation to be irresponsible and short-sighted," emphasised Zilinka in a video posted on social media. A group of SNS MPs has submitted a Criminal Code amendment to Parliament proposing adjustments to penalty ranges for extremist criminal offences. SNS wants to lower the upper limits of sentences for several of these, arguing that penalties need to be set in a more rational and differentiated way. In addition, provisions on the production, distribution and possession of extremist materials would be removed from the Criminal Code entirely. This would eliminate legally uncertain regulations, claimed SNS. jrg/df