[MT] Amendments to the Criminal Code and the Press Act concerning the media

Abstract

Parliament has approved legislation to amend the Criminal Code and the Press Act to introduce offences in relation to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, etc., and to increase punishments therefor. This is because as the law previously criminalised only one type of hatred - racial hatred. Article 82A of the Criminal Code criminalised incitement to racial hatred through written or printed material in the case of ‘violence or hatred against a group of persons in Malta defined by reference to colour, race, religion, descent, nationality (including citizenship) or ethnic or national origins or against a member of such a group.’ This provision was limited to racial hatred. The Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2012 enlarged the scope of Article 82A to include other categories of hatred namely gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, colour, language, ethnic origin, religion or belief or political or other opinion’. [Excerpt]