Some Reflections on  Grounds for Excluding Criminal Responsibility under the Statute of the International Criminal Court

A part of criminal law, in every legal system, consists of grounds for excluding criminal responsibility. Although the legislature has recognized some conducts as criminal, in some special cases and under special grounds, the perpetrator is not regarded criminally responsible. International criminal law, as a recent legal system, has addressed the issue of grounds for excluding criminal responsibility. This article deals with the grounds for excluding criminal responsibility including mental incapacity, intoxication, mistake (of law and of fact) and duress or necessity within the framework of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).