正当防卫制度的适用现状与制度完善

The Application and Improvement of the Justifiable Defense System

正当防卫制度旨在保障公民依法行使防卫权,作为刑事违法阻却事由,理当对人权保障产生重要作用,然而,无论是1979年《刑法》还是1997年《刑法》实施期间,正当防卫制度的适用率一直很低,近些年的表现是,涉及正当防卫的案件,认定并免除刑罚处罚的寥寥无几。刑法条文有关正当防卫制度的认定标准模糊,导致这一制度的适用欠缺确定性和规范性,在司法程序中,认定的现实压力和部分司法传统增加了正当防卫制度的适用难度,正当防卫制度在刑法体系中地位不断下降,经常被讥讽为'僵尸条款',这违背正当防卫制度的立法初衷。基于此,要从稳定人们的规范性期待和完善司法适用两方面进行全面的反思,实现正当防卫制度对于人权保障的应有之意。

Justifiable defense aims to protect citizens from exercising their right to defense.As elimination of crime,it is reasonable to play an important role in the protection of human rights.However,the application rate of justifiable defense has been very low during both the implementation of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China in 1979 and in1997.In recent years,the number of cases involving justifiable defense which are exempted from criminal punishment is rare.The provisions of the criminal law regarding the identification of the legitimate defense are vague,resulting in the lack of certainty and standardization of the application of this system.In the judicial process,the identified realistic pressures and some judicial traditions increase the difficulty of applying justifiable defense.Justifiable defense has been declining in the criminal law system and is often ridiculed as'zombie provisions',which violates the original intention of the justifiable defense.Based on this,it is necessary to improve normative expectations and judicial application,and only in this way can justifiable defense play its role in safeguarding human rights.