CC ISSUES POSITIVE CONCLUSION ON AMENDING TWO CONSTITUTION ARTICLES

The Constitutional Court approved the initiative on introducing amendments in two articles of the Main Law that concern the rights of citizens and children with disabilities. The initiative came from a group of MPs.

The CC approved the amending of articles #50 and #51 of the Constitution - "Protection of mothers, children and the youth" and "Protection of persons with physical, mental and psychic deviations". According to the approved amendments, in the text of both articles, as well as in the name of the article #51 the phrase "persons with physical, mental and psychic deviations" will be substituted with the phrase "with disabilities".

Authors of the legislative initiative explained this by the need of protecting, ensuring and encouraging the conditions of equality for complete implementation of the main rights and freedoms of people with disabilities, as well as respect to their dignity.

The basis for developing this legislative initiative was report by Peoples' Ombudsman, as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which tells about the importance of ensuring these people with disabilities with equal and efficient legal protection against any kind of discrimination.

According to the legislation, the amendment to the Constitution may be adopted within 6 months after the issuing of the Constitutional Court decision. If it is not adopted within the next 6 months, the CC decision loses its legal force.