A screen shot from a video showing the knife attack in Kunshan, Jiangsu province. [Photo/IC]
Police and prosecutors in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, released statements on Saturday, verifying that the man's behavior constituted justifiable defense and noting he should be exempt from criminal liability.
江蘇省昆山市公安局和檢察院認定“騎車反殺男子”(于海明)的行為屬于正當防衛(wèi),不負刑事責任。
正當防衛(wèi)(justifiable defense),指對正在進行不法侵害行為的人,而采取的制止不法侵害的行為,對不法侵害人造成一定限度損害的,屬于正當防衛(wèi),不負刑事責任。
我國《刑法》第二十條對正當防衛(wèi)的規(guī)定是:
為了使國家、公共利益、本人或者他人的人身、財產(chǎn)和其他權(quán)利免受正在進行的不法侵害,而采取的制止不法侵害的行為,對不法侵害人造成損害的,屬于正當防衛(wèi),不負刑事責任。
If a person employs an act to stop an unlawful infringement for the purposes of avoiding the said infringement for the State's or the public interest or for his own or another person's right of the person, property right or any other right, thus causing harm to the unlawful infringer, the said act shall be regarded as a justifiable defense and the said person shall not bear criminal responsibility.
正當防衛(wèi)明顯超過必要限度造成重大損害的,應當負刑事責任,但是應當減輕或者免除處罰。
If a justifiable defense apparently exceeds the limits of necessity, thus causing a serious harm, the person involved shall bear criminal responsibility, but be given a mitigated punishment or be exempt from punishment.
對正在進行行兇、殺人、搶劫、強奸、綁架以及其他嚴重危及人身安全的暴力犯罪,采取防衛(wèi)行為,造成不法侵害人傷亡的,不屬于防衛(wèi)過當,不負刑事責任。
If a person employs an act of defense to an immediate violent crime of committing physical assault, homicide, robbery, rape, kidnapping or any other crime seriously endangering the safety of another person, thus causing bodily injury or death to the unlawful infringer, the said act shall not be regarded as a defense that exceeds the limits of necessity, and the said person shall not bear criminal responsibility.
其中,“正當防衛(wèi)明顯超過必要限度造成重大損害的,應當負刑事責任”指的就是“防衛(wèi)過當(excessive defense)”。
“昆山反殺案”發(fā)生之后,網(wǎng)絡上關(guān)于該行為到底屬于“正當防衛(wèi)”還是“防衛(wèi)過當”引發(fā)了熱議。
昆山警方發(fā)布撤案通報后,江蘇省人民檢察院通過其官方微信號“江蘇檢察在線”,第一時間對于海明的行為為什么被認定為正當防衛(wèi)進行了解釋。
侵害升級 escalating assault
從該案的起因看,劉海龍醉酒駕車(drunk driving),違規(guī)變道(illegal lane change),主動滋事,挑起事端;從事態(tài)發(fā)展看,劉海龍先是推搡,繼而拳打腳踢,最后持刀擊打(knife attack),不法侵害步步升級。
危及人身安全 endanger personal safety
本案系“正在進行的行兇(ongoing assault)”,劉海龍使用的雙刃尖角刀系國家禁止的管制刀具(restricted knives),屬于刑法規(guī)定中的兇器;其持兇器擊打他人頸部等要害部位,嚴重危及于海明人身安全(seriously endanger Yu's personal safety);砍刀甩落在地后,其立即上前爭奪,沒有放棄跡象??车峨m然易手,危險并未消除,于海明的人身安全始終面臨著緊迫而現(xiàn)實的危險(Yu's life was at risk during the whole process)。
防衛(wèi)強度 level of self-defense
于海明搶刀后,連續(xù)捅刺、砍擊劉海龍5刀,所有傷情均在7秒內(nèi)形成(five stabs in seven seconds)。昆山市公安局在通報中指出,司法實踐中,考量是否屬于“行兇”,不能苛求防衛(wèi)人在應急反應情況下作出理性判斷,更不能以防衛(wèi)人遭受實際傷害為前提(the person being attacked could not be expected to make rational judgments in such an emergency, let alone judge the case by the injuries they suffered),而要根據(jù)現(xiàn)場具體情景及社會一般人的認知水平進行判斷。
江蘇省人民檢察院表示,人身安全是每個公民最基本的要求(personal safety is a basic requirement of every citizen),面對來自不法行為的嚴重緊急危害(severe and imminent assault),法律應當引導鼓勵公民勇于自我救濟,堅持同不法侵害作斗爭。