A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law to describe an offense that resulted in the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods, to which additional punishments including capital punishment could be added; other crimes were called misdemeanors. Following conviction of a felony in a court of law, a person may be described as a felon or a convicted felon.
Pornography laws by region vary throughout the world. The production and distribution of pornographic films are both activities that are legal in some but not all countries, as long as the pornography features performers aged above a certain age, usually 18 years. Further restrictions are often placed on such material.
Mediawatch-UK, formerly known as the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, was an advocacy group in the United Kingdom, which campaigned against the publication and broadcast of media content that it viewed as harmful, blasphemous and offensive, such as sex, violence, and profanity.
Pornography has been dominated by a few pan-European producers and distributors, the most notable of which is the Private Media Group that successfully claimed the position previously held by Color Climax Corporation in the early 1990s. Most European countries also have local pornography producers, from Portugal to Serbia, who face varying levels of competition with international producers. The legal status of pornography varies widely in Europe; its production and distribution are illegal in countries such as Ukraine, Belarus and Bulgaria, while Hungary has liberal pornography laws.
Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Iran.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people face widespread prosecution in Uzbekistan. Same-sex sexual activity between men is illegal in Uzbekistan. The punishment is up to three years in prison. Uzbekistan is one of just two post-Soviet states in which male homosexual activity remains criminalised, along with Turkmenistan.
The legality of prostitution in Europe varies by country.
There are several social issues in Armenia including poverty, high unemployment rates, corruption, and inadequate public services.
Legal frameworks around fictional pornography depicting minors vary depending on country and nature of the material involved. Laws against production, distribution and consumption of child pornography generally separate images into three categories: real, pseudo, and virtual. Pseudo-photographic child pornography is produced by digitally manipulating non-sexual images of real minors to make pornographic material. Virtual child pornography depicts purely fictional characters. "Fictional pornography depicting minors", as covered in this article, includes these latter two categories, whose legalities vary by jurisdiction, and often differ with each other and with the legality of real child pornography.
In the United States, child pornography is illegal under federal law and in all states and is punishable by up to life imprisonment and fines of up to $250,000. U.S. laws regarding child pornography are virtually always enforced and amongst the harshest in the world. The Supreme Court of the United States has found child pornography to be outside the protections of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Federal sentencing guidelines on child pornography differentiate between production, distribution, and purchasing/receiving, and also include variations in severity based on the age of the child involved in the materials, with significant increases in penalties when the offense involves a prepubescent child or a child under the age of 18. U.S. law distinguishes between pornographic images of an actual minor, realistic images that are not of an actual minor, and non-realistic images such as drawings. The latter two categories are legally protected unless found to be obscene, whereas the first does not require a finding of obscenity.
The production, sale, distribution, and commercialization of child pornography in Japan is illegal under the Act on Punishment of Activities Relating to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the Protection of Children (1999), and is punishable by a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a fine of ¥5,000,000. Simple possession of child pornography was made illegal by an amendment to the act in 2014. Virtual child pornography, which depicts wholly-fictional characters, is legal to produce and possess.
The anti-pornography movement in the United Kingdom is a social movement that seeks to reduce the availability of pornography in the country. The movement originates from two distinct perspectives: some feminists oppose pornography because they regard it as a means of degrading women, while some conservatives view it as immoral. The movement has had some influence over legislation, resulting in a number of laws intended to restrict the availability of certain genres of pornography which are legal in a number of other countries. Feminists Against Censorship have described the movement as more concerted and better organised than similar movements in other Western liberal democracies.
Internet censorship in South Africa is a developing topic.
Cannabis in Bulgaria is illegal, both for medical and recreational purposes. It is classified as a class A (high-risk) drug, together with heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and MDMA.
In Austria, the "Federal Act Against Obscene Publications and for the Protection of Youth Morally Endangered" was passed in 1990 to regulate pornography in Austria. In 1994, a prohibition on child pornography was added to the law. Under these regulations, the minimum age for buying softcore pornography in Austria is 16, and the minimum age for buying hardcore pornography is 18. Publication of pornography or material depicting bestiality is illegal.
In Belarus, production, distribution, promotion, exhibition as well as possession with intent of distribution or promotion of pornographic materials or objects of pornographic nature is punishable by Belarusian criminal law and results in fine, compulsory community service, or up to 4 years in prison.
Pornography in Belgium is legal. Pornographic products, mainly magazines and DVDs, are typically imported into the country from France, Germany, the Netherlands, or from North America. Possession, production and distribution of child pornography is illegal in and is enforced by authorities. Possessing child pornography can result to up to 1 year in prison, and producing or distributing child pornography is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The law permits the prosecution of residents who commit such crimes while abroad.
Pornography legalization in the Czech Republic started in 1993 following the Velvet Revolution, when the country went from being communist to being a liberal democracy. The possession, manufacturing, and distribution of child pornography is illegal in the Czech Republic and is punishable by up to 8 years in prison. Possession of child pornography was made illegal in 2007 and carries a penalty of up to 2 years in prison. According to the Czech penal code, sale and distribution of pornography depicting violence among people or sexual intercourse with animals is banned with a penalty of up to 1 year in prison.
Pornography in Croatia is legal, but restrictions apply. Hardcore pornography material cannot be sold to persons under 18. Distribution, production or possession of child pornography is illegal and punishable by a maximum of 10 years imprisonment. An adult intentionally exposing children to pornography may result in fines or a sentence of up to 1 year in prison.
Certain types of pornography in Finland are illegal; this also includes child pornography. Pornographic material which are violent and bestial are banned. Selling pornographic material in any store is legal, but softcore magazines may not be sold to buyers under 15, and hardcore pornography is restricted to buyers aged 18 and above.
