The bill is yet to be discussed by the Senate and signed by the president.
At present possession of child pornography is not unlawful in the Czech
Republic.
Unlike countries such as Austria, the USA, Britain and the Netherlands, where
the possession and acquisition of child porn is a crime, in the Czech Republic
only those who further spread such materials commit crime.
Under the draft amendment, those possessing photographic, film, computer,
electronic and other pornographic works featuring a child would face up to two
years in prison.
The bill does not apply to porn texts.
The abuse of a child for pornography production is to be a separate crime for
which the perpetrator could face up to eight years in prison.
The draft amendment also changes the current crime "corruption of morals" to
"spreading of pornography," and it markedly toughens punishments for it, from
three to up to eight years in prison.
The amendment was originally proposed by deputies from the junior opposition
Communist party (KSCM), but the lower house finally passed its version reworked
by the house's constitutional and legal committee in cooperation with the
justice minister.
Czech News Agency (CTK)
