The Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Public Order held an extraordinary meeting today, Friday, 18 March 2022, and discussed the following issues:
1. The Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence and Related Matters (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2022
(File No. 23.02.063.027-2022)
(Bill proposed by Ms. Anita Demetriou, Speaker of the House of Representatives.)
The Committee, in the presence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, discussed the above proposal for a law, the purpose of which is to amend the Law on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and Related Matters [L. 115(I) OF 2021], which has implemented a specific legislative framework to better implement the provisions of the legally ratified Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence [L. 14(III) OF 2017], known as the Istanbul Convention, in order to establish the substantive offence of femicide.
The Committee studied the text of the proposed law, heard the views of the representatives of the stakeholders and, having completed the discussion both in principle and in article, decided to take a position on its provisions at its next meeting.
2. The Better Implementation of Title VII of Part Three of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, (Implementing Provisions) Act, 2022.
(File No. 23.01.063.061-2022)
The Committee discussed the above Bill, the purpose of which is to designate competent authorities in the Republic for the application of the provisions of Title VII of Part Three of the Agreement on Trade and Cooperation between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, concerning the issue and execution of arrest warrants and surrender procedures for wanted persons between the Republic and the United Kingdom.
The Commission has considered the text of the Bill, heard the views of the representatives of the parties concerned, concluded the debate both in principle and in substance and, having taken a position on the provisions of the Bill, to which no amendments have been tabled, has decided to refer it to the plenary.
3. The Criminal Code (Amendment) (No. 3) Act, 2021
(Ref. No. 23.01.062.099-2021)
The Committee continued its discussion of the above Bill, the purpose of which is to amend the principal Act by adding new provisions introducing into it, in a partially redrafted form, the offences under section 149 (6) of the Electronic Communications and Postal Services Regulation Act, 2004.
The Committee studied the text of the Bill, heard the views of the representatives of the stakeholders and decided to continue the discussion on the provisions of the Bill at its next meeting.
4.The Criminal Code (Amendment) Law of 2022.
(Proposal for a law by MP George Koukoumas, on behalf of the parliamentary group AKEL-Left-New Powers)
(File No. 23.02.063.010-2022).
The Committee discussed in principle the above proposal for a law, the purpose of which is to amend the Criminal Code Law in order to establish as offences:
a. the application of any practice, technique or the provision of a service with the purpose of altering, suppressing or eliminating sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression;
b. the referral of a person under legal guardianship to a practice, technique, or service intended to alter, suppress, or eliminate sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression,
c. publicly or by circulating documents, images, or performances announcing or advertising, even covertly, a practice, technique, or service aimed at altering or suppressing sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
The Committee decided to continue the discussion on the provisions of the proposed law at its next meeting.
Secretariat of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Public Order
Email: parliamentary-commitees@parliament.cy
(MB/SX)
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