A new Criminal Procedure Code is set to come into force in the Transnistrian region in the second half of 2025. The document, drafted by the structures that de facto control the region, has already been adopted in the first reading. Despite the announced reforms, the situation in the Transnistrian penitentiary system remains critical, note human rights defenders: prisons are overcrowded, detention conditions do not meet international standards, and the judicial system is used to exert pressure on inconvenient individuals, IPN reports.

On March 5, the legislative body of the separatist administration adopted in the first reading a draft of the new Criminal Procedure Code. According to the authors, the new document should replace the outdated 2002 Criminal Procedure Code, which largely transposes the 1961 Soviet legislation. The project was developed starting in April 2023 by a working group consisting of lawyers, enforcement authorities, and officials. The announced reform aims to humanize the application of the law, simplify investigation procedures, accelerate the processing of criminal cases, and align local legislation with the standards of the Russian Federation.

The draft includes a series of changes, including the introduction of new preventive measures such as house arrest, an expansion of the rights of the accused, and the possibility of entering into a cooperation agreement before the trial.

The draft has been sent to the relevant commission for adjustments before the second reading vote. According to the procedure, after the final adoption, the document will come into force within three months. If the process is not delayed, it will come into effect in the second half of 2025.

Although the draft foresees modern legal mechanisms, the actual situation in the Transnistrian judicial and penitentiary system remains far from the declared standards. According to a Promo-LEX report, the prison occupancy rate in the region is 391.67 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, which is 3.3 times higher than the European average.

In comparison, in the territory controlled by the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova, this indicator is 235.01 prisoners per 100,000 people. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals in pretrial detention in the region is 21.4% of the total number of prisoners, which is 4.47% higher than the rest of the country (16.93%).

Detention conditions remain harsh and inhumane. Eight people are held in a space of 10 square meters, there is no ventilation system, cells are not heated, water is contaminated, and unsanitary conditions lead to the spread of infections. On average, each prisoner has no more than 2 square meters of space, half of the recommended standard by the Council of Europe (4 square meters). The funds for medical care amount to only $11.74 per prisoner per year, more than 12 times less than on the right bank (148 dollars).