Project adopted by the Senate: Up to 10 years in prison for initiating or supporting fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic organizations
Senate of Romania, photo: Inquam Photos / Alexandru Busca
The Senate adopted, on Monday, with 78 votes “for”, 15 “against” and 25 abstentions, the project that stipulates that the initiation or establishment of an organization of a fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic character, adherence or support, in any form, of such a group “constitutes a crime and is punished with 3 to 10 years”.
The project was initiated by Silviu Vexler, deputy of minorities, and aims to modify and complement the Emergency Ordinance no. 31/2002 regarding the prohibition of organizations, symbols and facts of a fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic character and the promotion of the cult of persons guilty of committing genocide offenses against humanity and war crimes, approved with modifications and completions by Law no. 107/2006, with the subsequent modifications and completions, as well as the modification of Law no. 157/2018 regarding some measures to prevent and combat anti -Semitism.
In the explanatory statement it is mentioned that the expected changes are intended to confer “a coherent, integrative, harmonious and coherent vision of the incrimination of the offenses motivated by hatred, including in reaction to the extent of hatred and violence in the online environment”.
The initiator, “the distribution or provision of the public, in any way, of fascist, legionary, racist and xenophobic materials and is punished with imprisonment from one year to 5 years and the prohibition of rights”, and if the deed is committed through a computer system, “the punishment limit is increased by half”.
The project also stipulates that “the deed of the person to promote, in public, the cult of persons guilty of committing genocide offenses, against humanity and war of the persons who were part of the leadership of fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic organizations, as well as the deed to promote, in public, ideas, conceptions, conceptions prison from 3 months to 3 years or a fine and the prohibition of rights ”.
“The denial, challenge, approval, justification or minimization obviously, by any means, in public, of the Holocaust or its effects are punished with imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years and the prohibition of some rights,” the project shows.
The project adopted by the Senate was transmitted to the Chamber of Deputies for debates and final vote, as a decision -making force.
