SNS Suggests Lowering Age of Criminal Liability, Wants to Discuss It First

Bratislava, 6 November (TASR) - The junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) is proposing to lower the age of criminal liability from 14 to 13, or in certain individual cases even to 12 years, SNS leader Andrej Danko announced on Friday, noting that the proposal has been in preparation for some time. The party has already drawn up an amending proposal but wants to discuss it first with Smer-SD, Voice-SD and the Justice Ministry. In this context, Danko condemned the incident that took place in Velka Lomnica (Presov region) last week. "I think that it's high time to lower the age of criminal liability, either across the board to 13 years for all criminal offences, or, in specific cases, to as low as 12 years. I've also taken note of an initiative by the Prosecutor-General (PG), which I was previously unaware of," Danko told the media. He said that SNS originally intended to submit the amending proposal on Friday, but it decided to take a different approach in light of the recent events in Velka Lomnica. "I stand by the proposal put forward by SNS. We'll present it to our colleagues from Smer and Voice, as well as to opposition politicians, but, of course, I'm also taking into account the professional message by the PG," he said, adding that SNS intends to engage in dialogue and submit an amendment regarding the criminal liability of minors during the current parliamentary session. He noted that similar adjustments have already been made in neighbouring countries, where the age of criminal liability is set at 13 or 12 years. The SNS leader believes that young people mature at an earlier age these days, partly thanks to technology. "Young people may be much smarter and better educated than they used to be, and, in my opinion, they are capable of distinguishing between good and evil at a much younger age than in the past," he added. The police are investigating an incident that took place in Velka Lomnica in Kezmarok district on 29 November in which a young girl was brutally assaulted. A video circulating on social media shows a group of children beating a young girl and stripping her naked. ko/df