New law sharply raises penalties for demanding or sharing sexual images of minors

A new criminal code has been adopted that tightens rules and adds harsher sanctions for adults who ask children for sexual photographs or videos, and for anyone who makes or circulates such content. The minimum jail term for solicitation has risen from six months to three years, with the maximum now ten years. Producing abusive material carries a penalty of five to twelve years, while illegal access via the internet can lead to one to five years behind bars.

Possession, storage, distribution or making such material available is punishable by two to seven years, and sentences may be increased by a third if the perpetrator is a family member, caretaker, or abuses a position of trust. An exception allows adolescents to exchange consensual intimate images with peers no more than three years apart, provided the content is limited to the participants and not intended for broader distribution.