The Justice Ministry plans to propose changes to the Criminal Code that will reduce fines for slander while making assaults on journalists a more serious offence.

Under the proposal, journalists will pay a maximum fine of 400 EUR for slander, down from 2,000. The fine for editors will be capped at 2,000 and the fine for media outlets – at 5,000. An assault on journalists will be considered similar to obstructing an officer.

Additionally, the proposal would introduce a new criminal act – stalking. This comes after individuals were found to be sharing personal photographs and phone numbers from girls and women at a widely used Telegram group.