GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER VII
PENALTY

Article 50. Fixed-Term Imprisonment

1. Fixed-term imprisonment shall be imposed by a court in the cases provided for in the Special Part of this Code. The term of the penalty shall be counted in years, months and days.

2. The penalty of a fixed-term imprisonment may be imposed for a period from three months up to ten years. In the case of imposing the penalty according to Article 64 of this Code, when a new crime is committed before a sentence for the previous crime is served, a custodial sentence for a period of up to 25 years may be imposed.

3. Convicted persons shall serve a custodial sentence in open colonies, houses of correction and prisons. The place where the penalty is to be served shall be selected by a court taking into consideration the personality of the offender, the nature and dangerousness of the committed crime. The procedure for and conditions of serving the custodial sentence shall be laid down by the Penal Code.

Article 51. Life Imprisonment

1. The penalty of life imprisonment shall be imposed by a court in the cases provided for in the Special Part of this Code.

2. If a criminal law provides for a possibility of commutation of the penalty of life imprisonment, the custodial sentence may be commuted to a term of not less than 25 years.

3. Convicted persons shall serve the penalty of life imprisonment in a prison. Having served the first ten years of the sentence of life imprisonment, convicted persons may, in the cases and in accordance with the procedure laid down by laws, be transferred to a house of correction. The procedure for and conditions of serving the penalty of life imprisonment shall be laid down by the Penal Code.

Article 103
Role of States in enforcement of sentences of imprisonment
1. (a) A sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons.
(b) At the time of declaring its willingness to accept sentenced persons, a State may attach conditions to its acceptance as agreed by the Court and in accordance with this Part.
(c) A State designated in a particular case shall promptly inform the Court whether it accepts the Court's designation.
2. (a) The State of enforcement shall notify the Court of any circumstances, including the exercise of any conditions agreed under paragraph 1, which could materially affect the terms or extent of the imprisonment. The Court shall be given at least 45 days' notice of any such known or foreseeable
circumstances. During this period, the State of enforcement shall take no action that might prejudice its obligations under article 110.
(b) Where the Court cannot agree to the circumstances referred to in subparagraph (a), it shall notify the State of enforcement and proceed in accordance with article 104, paragraph 1.
3. In exercising its discretion to make a designation under paragraph 1, the Court shall take into account the following:
(a) The principle that States Parties should share the responsibility for enforcing sentences of imprisonment, in accordance with principles of equitable distribution, as provided in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence;
(b) The application of widely accepted international treaty standards governing the treatment of prisoners;
(c) The views of the sentenced person;
(d) The nationality of the sentenced person;
(e) Such other factors regarding the circumstances of the crime or the person sentenced, or the effective enforcement of the sentence, as may be appropriate in designating the State of enforcement.
4. If no State is designated under paragraph 1, the sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a prison facility made available by the host State, in accordance with the conditions set out in the headquarters agreement referred to in article 3, paragraph 2. In such a case, the costs arising out of the enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment shall be borne by the Court.

Article 105
Enforcement of the sentence
1. Subject to conditions which a State may have specified in accordance with article 103, paragraph 1 (b), the sentence of imprisonment shall be binding on the States Parties, which shall in no case modify it.
2. The Court alone shall have the right to decide any application for appeal and revision. The State of enforcement shall not impede the making of any such application by a sentenced person.