The Expansion of the Scope of Inherently Lethal Conduct in Judicial Jurisprudence

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 PhD Student in Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Judicial Law, University of Judicial Sciences, Tehran. Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The present study, employing a descriptive–analytical methodology, examines the manifestations of the expansion of inherently lethal conduct within the Iranian judicial system. It analyzes how judicial practice—particularly as reflected in the rulings of the Supreme Court—interprets paragraph (b) of Article 290 of the Islamic Penal Code (2013) and, on that basis, issues sentences of Qisas. The findings indicate that the judiciary, through expansive interpretations and occasional disregard for certain statutory conditions and legal excuses, has tended to broaden the scope of inherently lethal conduct. Accordingly, factors such as the extension of the sphere of executive conduct, insufficient attention to the establishment of causation and attribution of death to the accused, the characterization of conduct as inherently lethal in cases involving doubt, and the qualification of intentional homicide arising from gross recklessness (with respect to the actus reus), as well as the neglect or misinterpretation of awareness and consciousness (with respect to the mens rea), have emerged as prominent indicators of this expansion. The issuance of unifying precedents or the adoption of interpretive guidelines by the Supreme Court to clarify the notions of “awareness and consciousness” and the parameters of statutory excuses—such as excessive self-defense and juvenile criminal maturity—together with the annulment of Qisas judgments where such elements or fundamental principles of criminal law have not been duly observed, constitute essential corrective mechanisms. Furthermore, refraining from extending executive conduct to accomplices in homicide except in well-substantiated cases involving direct intervention and attributable causation, overturning Qisas sentences in the absence of a complete causal link to death unless intent to inflict severe injury or compelling evidence thereof is established, applying the rule of doubt in cases of uncertainty regarding the type of crime or attribution, and aligning intentional homicide based on gross recklessness strictly with the conditions set forth in paragraph (b) of Article 290, represent strategic approaches whose effective and comprehensive implementation could reduce interpretive inconsistency, limit the expansion of Qisas sentences, and enhance the coherence and effectiveness of criminal policy.

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Criminal Law Doctrines
Volume 22, Issue 29
May 2025
Pages 307-352

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History

  • Receive Date: 26 August 2025
  • Revise Date: 07 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 12 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 21 April 2025

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