Cyprus Discusses Criminal Liability for Age and Disability Hate Speech

The Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs has completed the article-by-article discussion of a bill criminalizing incitement to violence and hatred based on age or disability. The document will soon be submitted to the plenary session of Parliament.

The bill was initiated by MPs Alexandra Attalides and Giorgos Koukoumas. According to Koukoumas, the proposal received support from state bodies and public organizations.

He noted that the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights prohibits discrimination based on age and disability. Furthermore, 14 European countries have already criminalized hate speech based on disability, and six have done so based on age.

Alexandra Attalides emphasized that "equality before the law cannot end where age or disability begins." According to her, complaints about such cases are regularly received from organizations representing people with disabilities and elderly citizens.

The prescribed penalties will align with existing legislation on hate speech.