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| Two handcuffed hands typing on a keyboard (montage) |
Deputy Ina Zhupa has filed a draft law in the Parliament which aims to toughen criminal penalties in cases of rape or threats against journalists or media workers. According to this proposal, the legal protection given to journalists is equal to that of doctors and police officers, local media reports.
Journalists and media workers should be given the same legal protection as doctors or police officers. This is provided for in the draft law submitted to the Parliament by MP Ina Zhupa, who argues the initiative by underlining that the cases of violence against journalists have increased: "In the conditions where the current criminal legislation has not provided for journalists and media workers any other type of protection than that of ordinary citizens of the country, as well as in the conditions where cases of pressure, threats or physical violence against journalists due to their duties have increased significantly, we are convinced that this initiative comes at the right time. Through this initiative, nothing more is being sought than to equalize the level of protection of journalists and media workers, with that of doctors or police officers".
The draft law aims at punishments from one to five years in cases of assault due to duty and one to three years in cases of threats, for which the democratic deputy states that it will also have a positive impact on the index of media freedom in the country: "The proposed legal changes aim to increase the legal protection of journalists, photojournalists, operators, and other media workers in the country, punishing more severely in the Criminal Code any threat or violence of any kind directed towards the latter".