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🇧🇪 Belgium /Crime & Justice

New criminal code takes effect tomorrow: “Taking a deep breath and sighing a lot is the only option”

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Belgium’s new criminal code takes effect on September 1, replacing the code introduced in 1810 under Napoleon.
  • The transition will add to the workload of the country’s strained justice system, as lawyers and magistrates will need to work with both codes for years.

Belgium’s new criminal code takes effect on September 1, replacing legislation that dates back to 1810, the era of Napoleon. The change makes the day a historic one, but the transition will not be simple.

For the country’s heavily strained justice system, the new code means years of additional work. Lawyers and magistrates will have to switch between the old and new codes during that period. As the headline puts it, “Taking a deep breath and sighing a lot is the only option.”

Taking a deep breath and sighing a lot is the only option

— Not specifiedThe headline uses the phrase to convey the strain expected during the transition between the old and new criminal codes.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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