In order to ensure more effective protection for persons who are threatened with severe harm or murder, the Saeima’s Legal Commission supported amendments to the Criminal Law in the third reading.
Such amendments to the Criminal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law must be supported by the Saeima in the final reading. It is predicted that they will enter into force on the 15th of July.
It is planned that with the amendments, more effective protection will also be provided to those people whose safety is threatened by repeated or long-term stalking, surveillance, threats, and unwanted communication.
“Violence must not be tolerated. We must act proactively and do everything possible to reduce such cases and provide protection to people who have a valid reason to fear for their safety,” said Andrejs Judins, the chairman of the commission.
Currently, threats to commit murder or to cause harm, as well as stalking, are punishable by temporary imprisonment, probation supervision, community service, or a fine. With the bill
it is planned to determine the possible punishment of guilty persons with prison terms up to one year.
In cases where the victim and the perpetrator are closely related to each other, the perpetrator can also be punished with imprisonment for a period of up to three years, the draft law provides.
The draft amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure, supported by the Commission, intend to establish that in this case, criminal proceedings can be initiated in the public interest even without the application of the victim.
A criminal trial for a criminal offense related to violence or the threat of violence committed by a relative of the victim, a former spouse or a person with whom the victim has or has had a permanent intimate relationship will have an advantage compared to other criminal trials in ensuring a reasonable term, the draft law provides.
such criminal case is scheduled to commence no later than four weeks after receiving it.
It is also expected that special procedural protection will be provided to victims, witnesses, and other persons who testify or have testified in criminal proceedings about threats to commit murder or cause serious bodily harm or persecution. In order to ensure the mutual coherence of the laws, the Legal Commission will forward to the Saeima the amendments prepared by the commission to the Law on the Special Protection of Persons and will invite them to be considered in the first reading without repeated consideration by the commission, informed the chairman of the commission.
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