Retroactive Application of Milder Criminal Code Provisions in Sentencing

The appellate court addressed the issue of applying revised criminal code provisions retroactively where the offense occurred before the new law took effect but sentencing happened after, invoking the principle of applying the milder law (*lex mitior*, Art. 2 Abs. 2 StGB). The court determined that the milder law must be assessed based on the concrete facts of the case, specifically considering which law results in a more favorable outcome for the defendant regarding personal liberty restrictions. Given that the revised law allowed for a partially suspended sentence (up to three years), a possibility unavailable under the old law for sentences exceeding eighteen months, the court concluded that the new law was the milder one applicable to the defendant convicted of rape, incest, and traffic offenses.