General Prosecutor’s Office supported the proposal to criminalize animal cruelty

Public prosecution bodies charged the Ministry of Internal Affairs officials with the right to revise Article 15.45 of the Administrative Offences Code and Article 339.1 of the Criminal Code.

In total, 820 citizens addressed the General Prosecutor’s Office their appeals demanding to upgrade penalties for animal abuse, informs belngo.info. On February 10, on the General Prosecutor’s Office website response to the citizens’ appeals was published.

Apart from that, the General Prosecutor’s Office, having added several remarks, agreed on Criminal Code (“Animal Cruelty”) suggested by the National Centre of Legislation and Legal Research of the Republic of Belarus. The Office also agreed with the proposition to empower MIA officials to draw up reports on Article 15.45 of the Administrative Offences Code.

Civil activists, the initiators of the “No cruelty to animals!” campaign welcome positive response of the General Prosecutor’s Office while stressing that upgrading of penalties by itself will not improve the situation dramatically until a special law on the protection of animals is adopted.

Earlier EuroBelarus Information Service interviewed volunteers for an animal organizations and animal shelters and specialists in Minsk veterinary clinics about their opinion on the situation with animal rights in Belarus.

Let us recall that the President's administration has declined a motion of animal protection organizations, which suggested introducing a draft law “On animal protection” into the 2014 plan.