Murder in Plovdiv. Five minors are accused. The legal qualification of the charge is intentional murder in a particularly painful way for the murdered, with particular cruelty, for hooligan and sexual orientation-related motives.
I'll start with the dry part.
A minor is criminally liable if he was able to understand the nature and meaning of the act and guide his actions. This issue is established by forensic psychiatric and psychological expertise and it will probably be established that the accused can initially bear criminal liability if it is proven that they committed the act for which they are accused.
For this qualification, the law provides for a penalty of imprisonment of fifteen to twenty years, life imprisonment or life imprisonment without commutation.
Penalties of this magnitude cannot be imposed on minors and are necessarily commuted as follows:
- for those who have reached the age of 16: with imprisonment of five to twelve years;
- for those who have not reached the age of 16: with imprisonment of three to ten years.
Parole is possible after actually serving half of the imposed sentence, if the convicted person has provided evidence that he has reformed.
Criminal liability is personal, i.e. parents cannot be accused of committing murder, but they can be held criminally liable if it is established that they have left their children without supervision and sufficient care and thereby created a danger to their physical, mental or moral development. The punishment is imprisonment for up to three years and public reprimand.
And it is after the dry part that we come to the big question: how did we get to the point where children are accused of murder committed on four qualifying grounds?
I will not even say a word about the terribly outdated and inadequate Law on Combating Antisocial Behavior of Minors.
The word "prevention" has long been unknown in the vocabulary of those in power, who cannot realize that the constant increase in punishments does not lead to a decrease in crime, because punishment is imposed only when an illegal act has been committed. The idea, however, is not to get there. Especially when it comes to children.
And here comes the moment to open the question of the role of adults: we are the ones who educate hatred and aggression in adolescents, deploying our own hatred and aggression.
Therefore, every time you write "death/fight of the faggots/pedophiles/whatever other group is different from your limited concepts of normality", remember that this appeal of yours is being read by some adolescent who is looking for a way to be relevant. And remember that because of your appeals, five children will be in prison, their lives will be marked with the label "murderer", and one person is dead.
And finally, a few "small clarifications":
- Pedophilia is a mental disorder according to the International Classification of Diseases and is subject to psychiatric and psychological therapy.
- The possible intention or desire to commit a crime (e.g. sexual assault against a child) is not a crime. The actual commission of such an assault is a crime and it should be punished with the punishment provided for by law.
- Justice is carried out by state authorities, not by the street and/or social networks.