GENERAL PART
CHAPTER TWO
THE OFFENCE
FOURTH TITLE
SELF-DEFENCE, NECESSITY AND DURESS
Section 35
Duress
(1) A person who, faced with an imminent danger to life, limb or freedom which cannot otherwise be averted, commits an unlawful act to avert the danger from himself, a relative or person close to him, acts without guilt. This shall not apply if and to the extent that the offender could be expected under the circumstances to accept the danger, in particular, because he himself had caused the danger, or was under a special legal obligation to do so; the sentence may be mitigated pursuant to section 49(1) unless the offender was required to accept the danger because of a special legal obligation to do so.
(2) If at the time of the commission of the act a person mistakenly assumes that circumstances exist which would excuse him under subsection (1) above, he will only be liable if the mistake was avoidable. The sentence shall be mitigated pursuant to section 49(1).
SPECIAL PART
CHAPTER NINE
FALSE TESTIMONY AND PERJURY
Section 157
Duress
(1) If a witness or an expert has perjured himself or given false unsworn testimony, the court in its discretion may mitigate the sentence (section 49(2)) or in the case of unsworn testimony order a discharge, if the offender told a lie in order to avert from a relative or himself a danger of being punished or subjected to a custodial measure of rehabilitation and incapacitation.
(2) The court in its discretion may also mitigate the sentence (section 49(2)) or order a discharge if a person not yet competent to take an oath has given false unsworn testimony.
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:
(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.