GENERAL PART
Chapter Three
CRIMINAL OFFENCE
1. General provisions on Criminal Offence
Guilt
Article 22
(1) A perpetrator is guilty if he/she was mentally competent and acting with premeditation at the time of committing of the criminal offence, and was aware or should or could have been aware that his action was prohibited.
(2) A perpetrator is also guilty when acting in negligence, if so explicitly provided by law.
Mental Incompetence
Article 23
There is no criminal offence if it was committed in a state of mental incompetence.
A perpetrator is mentally incompetent if they were unable to understand the significance of their act or were unable to control their actions due to mental illness, temporary mental disorder, mental retardation or other severe mental disorder.
(3) A perpetrator of a criminal offence whose ability to understand the significance of their act or ability to control their actions was substantially diminished due to any of the conditions stipulated in paragraph 2 of this Article (substantially diminished mental competence) may be given a mitigated sentence.
1. In addition to other grounds for excluding criminal responsibility provided for in this Statute, a person shall not be criminally responsible if, at the time of that person's conduct:
(a) The person suffers from a mental disease or defect that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of his or her conduct, or capacity to control his or her conduct to conform to the requirements of law;
(b) The person is in a state of intoxication that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of his or her conduct, or capacity to control his or her conduct to conform to the requirements of law, unless the person has become voluntarily intoxicated under such circumstances that the person knew, or disregarded the risk, that, as a result of the intoxication, he or she was likely to engage in conduct constituting a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;
(c) The person acts reasonably to defend himself or herself or another person or, in the case of war crimes, property which is essential for the survival of the person or another person or property which is essential for accomplishing a military mission, against an imminent and unlawful use of force in a manner proportionate to the degree of danger to the person or the other person or property protected. The fact that the person was involved in a defensive operation conducted by forces shall not in itself constitute a ground for excluding criminal responsibility under this subparagraph;
(d) The conduct which is alleged to constitute a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court has been caused by duress resulting from a threat of imminent death or of continuing or imminent serious bodily harm against that person or another person, and the person acts necessarily and reasonably to avoid this threat, provided that the person does not intend to cause a greater harm than the one sought to be avoided. Such a threat may either be:
(i) Made by other persons; or
(ii) Constituted by other circumstances beyond that person's control.