Recently, China’s Supreme People’s Court issued new guidelines clarifying the application of ‘justifiable defense’ in criminal cases, reinforcing the judicial principle that ‘the law must not yield to unlawful acts.’ According to the guidelines, when facing an ongoing unlawful attack, individuals have the right to take necessary measures to stop it. Even if such actions result in injury or death to the attacker, they should be recognized as justifiable defense—as long as the response does not clearly exceed what is necessary—and thus carry no criminal liability.Judges interpreting the guidelines stress that determinations of justifiable defense must consider multiple factors, including timing, means, intensity of the defensive action, and the legal interests being protected. Courts should avoid overly critical ‘hindsight bias.’ For instance, if someone breaks into a home at night or attacks with a weapon—posing a serious threat to personal safety—the defender’s heightened reaction due to fear or panic should not automatically be deemed excessive force.Furthermore, the new rules encourage judicial authorities to take into account the public’s intuitive sense of justice and avoid the flawed notion that ‘whoever suffers injury or death is automatically in the right.’ This clarification aims to strengthen citizens’ confidence in exercising their lawful right to self-defense and reaffirms the rule of law’s commitment to upholding justice.
近日，最高人民法院发布关于正当防卫适用的最新指导意见，进一步明确正当防卫的认定标准，强调‘法不能向不法让步’的司法理念。新规指出，在面对正在进行的不法侵害时，公民有权采取必要措施制止侵害，即使造成侵害人伤亡，只要未明显超过必要限度，就应依法认定为正当防卫，不负刑事责任。法官在解读中特别强调，判断是否构成正当防卫，应综合考虑防卫时机、手段、强度及所保护的法益等因素，避免‘事后诸葛亮’式的苛责。例如，对深夜非法闯入住宅、持械行凶等严重危及人身安全的行为，防卫人因紧张、恐惧而反应过激，不应简单认定为防卫过当。此外，新规还鼓励司法机关在办案中充分考虑社会公众的朴素正义观，防止‘谁死伤谁有理’的错误倾向，切实保障公民依法行使防卫权。这一举措有助于增强人民群众的安全感，也体现了法治对正义的坚定守护。
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