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Looting: Criminal Law Analysis
- Authors: Rakhmanova E.N.1
-
Affiliations:
- North-West Branch, Russian State University of Justice named after V. M. Lebedev
- Issue: No 9 (2025)
- Pages: 104-112
- Section: Criminal law studies
- URL: https://medbiosci.ru/2072-909X/article/view/364107
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.37399/issn2072-909X.2025.9.104-112
- ID: 364107
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Abstract
Looting is one of the oldest war crimes. Looting has been treated differently at different times. In accordance with the history of the crime, earlier international acts understood it as robbery and seizure by force of cities or villages, some as plunder or pillage, and later as looting. Since 1907, looting has been recognized as a war crime and prohibited by international humanitarian law. Until 2022, the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation of 1996 did not include the looting offence. The Criminal Code of the RSFSR of 1960 had an Art. 266 “Looting”, but it was considered a crime against the order of military service. Currently, the novel article is introduced in the Chapter 34 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Crimes against the peace and security of mankind”. The purpose of this work is a criminal law analysis of Art. 356.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Looting” from the standpoint of both international humanitarian law and national criminal law.
The study was conducted using dialectical and historical methods, methods of analysis, induction, synthesis and comparative legal method. The author carried out a comprehensive analysis of criminal liability for looting in Russian criminal law. The conducted study allowed us to draw the following conclusions. Looting is a war crime that violates the rules and methods of warfare. The specifics of the crime are determined by the material target of the crime, the victims, the place and time of its commission, the identification of the presence or absence of military necessity. Looting, unlike crimes against property, can only be committed within the context established by law.
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About the authors
Ekaterina N. Rakhmanova
North-West Branch, Russian State University of Justice named after V. M. Lebedev
Author for correspondence.
Email: ekaterina.rachmanova@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4602-4676
Doctor of Science (Law), Associated Professor, Head of the Criminal Law Department.
Russian Federation, St. PetersburgReferences
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