The latest amendments to the Criminal Code, which were adopted by the Parliament at the beginning of the week, increased the penalties for torture and killing, and for the first time animal fighting was defined as a criminal offense.
In Article 309 of the Criminal Code, which refers to the killing and torturing of animals and the destruction of their habitat, instead of up to one, now for those who in violation of the regulations kill, injure, torture or otherwise abuse an animal, in addition to a fine, a prison sentence of up to two years.
In the case of killing, injuring or torturing a large number of animals or if the act is committed against animals belonging to specially protected animal species, a prison sentence of six months to five years is provided for.
Article 309 of the Criminal Code was amended by Article 309a "Training animals for fighting and organizing animal fights".
That article stipulates that whoever trains animals for fighting, organizes or finances animal fights or fights between animals and people, or who organizes or participates in betting on such fights, will be punished by a fine and imprisonment from six months to three years.
Persons who attend or allow a child to attend animal fights are subject to a fine, as well as a prison sentence of up to one year.
For those who raise, keep, sell or hand over to another animal, which would be trained or used for animal fights, prison terms of six months to two years - and a fine are provided.
"Almost four years after the first proposal that we prepared and sent to the Ministry of Justice together with 16 other organizations, the Parliament of Montenegro adopted amendments to the Criminal Code, which gave Montenegro a modern and comprehensive legislative solution for the sub-field of animal protection, in the area of criminal offenses against the environment and spatial planning, currently perhaps the best of all neighboring countries, except for Italy, whose legislation was used for comparative analysis with the old criminal code, which in this part has not been changed since its adoption", announced the association for the protection animal "Korina".
From that association, they also add that they insisted that the part of the Criminal Code that refers to "abusing an animal in another way", which, as they add, can refer to sexual abuse, has been revised.
"We are looking forward to the new activities of the police and judicial authorities in the application of the new code, and we invite citizens to report any violation of these provisions to us and the competent authorities without fear or hesitation," said "Korina".
In addition to the "Korina" association, the non-governmental organizations that submitted a proposal for amendments to the Criminal Code are "Ruka-šapi", "sPas", the Society for the Protection of Animals Podgorica, "Sapice" from Bar, "Feniks" Cetinje, "Friends of Dogs" from Tivat, Nikšić Association for the Protection of Animals, "Friends of Animals" Podgorica, "Kotor Kitties", "Friends of Animals" Bar, "Rikijevo Tsarstvo" from Kolašin, "Little and Great Paradise" Spuž, "House of Animals", "Happy Paws" , "Galop" and the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds.
Up to a year for the cultivation and spread of invasive species
The Criminal Code was also amended in the part that refers to invasive species.
Thus, a fine or a prison sentence of up to one year is provided for a person who, contrary to the regulations, introduces, spreads, grows, reproduces, transports, uses, exchanges or places on the market invasive foreign species.
If the act was committed negligently, a fine or a prison sentence of up to half a year is provided.
The list of invasive foreign species is determined by the Ministry of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North.
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