Public Law Studies Quarterly

Citing the Necessity Defense in the Field of Environmental Law from the Perspective of International Law and Imami Jurisprudence

Document Type : Article

Author

Mojtaba Afshar

‎. Assistant Pro. Department of International Law, Faculty of Law and International Relations, The ‎Enghelab-e Eslami Comprehensive University, Tehran, Iran‎

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2023.356919.3287
Abstract
Necessity, as one of the factors that absolves the wrongful nature of an act, provides a valid response to situations where the preservation of essential interests of the state or the international community requires the violation of primary obligations. This paper aims to examine the necessity defense in the field of environmental law from the perspective of international law and Imami jurisprudence. The fundamental problem in invoking necessity in this area is the uncertainty of harm in environmental issues, which is incompatible with the condition of imminent danger. Unlike international law, legal discussions related to necessity have not received much attention from Islamic scholars; however, by drawing on sources and jurisprudential rules through the method of legal application of verses and narrations as well as the opinions of Islamic jurists to international law, the foundations of this factor in Imami jurisprudence can be formulated. By reviewing international documents and jurisprudential sources, it can be concluded that the principle of necessity in international environmental law has an exceptional nature in both legal systems, and compensation for the incurred damage is an accepted and inevitable matter.

Keywords

bidhat al-īsilām
international environmental law
necessity
the circumstances precluding the wrongfulness of an unlawful act
essential interest
Subjects

  1. English

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    1. D) Documents
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Public Law Studies Quarterly
Volume 55, Issue 3 - Serial Number 43
Autumn 2025
Autumn 2025
Pages 2049-2073

  • Receive Date 06 April 2023
  • Revise Date 08 July 2023
  • Accept Date 10 September 2023

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