The Challenge of Definition of Crime in Iranian New Penal Code 1392

In criminal law specially and in other law disciplines generally the definition has high importance. Because it shows either the scope or realm of related discipline and avoid scattering them and also ensure the respect to the individual rights on the society. From 300 years ago with initiation of modern criminal law, the necessity of “nullum crimen nulla poena sine lege” as a fundamental rights of human beings entered in constitutional laws and charters, even taught many years before traditionally in Islamic or Christians orders this has been seen. In civil law countries like Iran, fulfillment of these rights in criminal law primarily necessitates “the definition of crime” in penal code. As the Iranian new penal code enacted recently and is effective from June 2013, in this paper the author analyses the “definition of crime” cited in article 2 and its innovations and challenges.