Maldives government has submitted an amendment to the Penal Code looking to criminalise racial discrimination.
The bill, lobbied by Feydhoo MP Ibrahim Didi of ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), proposed several amendments to the Penal Code including additional criminal offences and aggravation of sentences.
The amendment criminalises any form of assault or discrimination against an individual based on their ethnicity, nationality or colour. The bill also states that encouraging racial discrimination, and forming, joining or financially supporting racist hate groups also constitute a criminal offence.
According to the bill, any death caused by a racist attack or similar hate crime would be classified as a Class 1 felony under the Penal Code, resulting in a jail sentence of 10 years.
Furthermore, the amendment looks to impose a prison term of one year and seven months on racist attacks that involve kidnapping, sexual assault or threatening death. Other forms of racial discrimination would receive prison time of nine months and 18 days.
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