A Comparative Analysis of State Criminal Liability for Environmental Crimes: Challenges and Approaches in the Criminal Law of Iran and France

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Law, CT. C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Environmental crimes have emerged among the foremost international challenges, with states assuming a decisive role in their emergence, perpetuation, and deterrence. While governments bear a statutory duty duty to protect the environment, developmental policies and regulatory decisions may, directly or indirectly, facilitate the proliferation of such crimes. This study conducts a comparative analysis of the criminal liability of state for environmental crimes within the legal systems of Iran and France. The central research question is: To what extent can states be held criminally liable for environmental crimes, and what principal distinctions characterize the approaches of these two legal systems? The operative hypothesis posits that in Iran, state liability remains predominantly confined to administrative and civil spheres due to insufficient criminalization, whereas France has developed a more coherent juridical framework acknowledging the potential criminal liability of public legal persons. Methodologically, the study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing library and documentary resources, within a comparative criminal law framework informed by theories of corporate criminal liability. The findings indicate that reforms within French criminal law, particularly within specialized environmental statutes and the Penal Code, enable the prosecution of public institutions and, under certain circumstances, state entities for environmental violations. French jurisprudence has further elaborated the doctrine of corporate criminal liability to enhance environmental protection. Conversely, the Iranian system remains principally oriented toward civil and administrative remedies, hampered by deficient enforcement regimes and substantial legal ambiguities regarding the recognition of the state as a a subject of criminal liability. This study concludes that Iran necessitates a revision of its legislative framework, incorporating insights from the French experiences, to reinforce its criminal policy for effective environmental protection.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Books

    1. Aghaseyed Jafar-Kashfi M, Environmental law and sustainable development of the oil and gas industry[in Persian] (Majd 2022)
    2. Christodoulou H, L’Union européenne au secours de l’environnement au moyen du droit penal (est l’archive institutionnelle de l’Université Toulouse 2024)
    3. Karkhaneh A, Analysis of international environmental instruments[in Persian] (Majd 2022)
    4. Mashhadi A, Compilation of basic laws and regulations of environmental law[in Persian] (Khorsandi 2025)
    5. Mohseni F, The Supreme Court and environmental law in Iran[in Persian] (University of Tehran Press 2022)
    6. Naim-Gesbert É, Droit général de l’environnement(4th edn, LexisNexis 2024)
    7. Taghizadeh Ansari M, Environmental law in Iran[in Persian] (SAMT 2020)
    8. Tayebi SH, Environmental law[in Persian] (Majd 2023)
    9. Westbrook DA, From Fidelity to Precarity: The Evolution of Agency in Business from Legal Formalism to the Gig Economy(Washburn University School of Law 2023)

    Journal Articles

    1. Asraf M, ‘Corporate Criminal Liability in Environmental Crimes: Strengthening Responsibility under International Law’ (2025) 34 International Journal of Criminal Law 1
    2. Canali L, ‘La responsabilité climatique devant le juge administratif, une instrumentalisation de la réparation à des fins de cessation de l’illicite?’ (2024) 49 Revue Juridique de l’Environnement 604
    3. Diallo A, ‘La responsabilité de l'État dans les affections respiratoires liées à la pollution de l’air: analyse de deux jugements du 16 juin 2023 du tribunal administratif de Paris’ (2023) 26 Revue de Droit de la Santé 455
    4. Elezi A, ‘Criminal liability of legal entities’ (2024) 10 Balkan Journal of Interdisciplinary Research 71
    5. Gkegka M, ‘Le contentieux environnemental devant le juge administratif de l'excès de pouvoir: À propos des affaires Les Amis de la Terre and Commune de Grande-Synthe’ (2024) 14 Revue du Droit Public 80
    6. Kurniawan Saputra K, ‘Criminal Law Policy on Environmental Crimes in Climate Change Issue’ [2025] 5 Journal of Tourism Economics and Policy 287
    7. Kurtović H, Sokanović L and Mladinić N, ‘Liability of legal persons for criminal offenses against the environment’ (2024) 96 Glasnik Advokatske komore Vojvodine 1161
    8. Mingozzi L, ‘A réparation des dommages climatiques dans la demande d’avis consultatif soumise au Tribunal international du droit de la mer: une occasion manquée?’ (2024) 42 Revue Juridique de l’Environnement 561
    9. Sarch A, ‘Collective Knowledge and the Limits of the Expanded Identification Doctrine’ (2025) 44 Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 920
    10. Sterio M, ‘Crimes Against the Environment, Ecocide, and the International Criminal Court’ (2023) 56 Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law 1
    11. Van Rijssel J, Van Thiel G, Gardarsdottir H and Van Delden J, ‘Which Benefits Can Justify Risks in Research?’ (2025) 25 The American Journal of Bioethics 65
    12. Zani M, ‘Pour une justice pénale internationale en matière environnementale: à propos de la répression des atteintes à l’environnement par une juridiction internationale spécialisée’ (2024) 18 Annuaire de la Commission du droit international 123

    Official Documents/ Reports

    • Environmental Protection Organization of Iran, ‘Criminal Conviction of Iralco for Environmental Pollution’ (Press Release, EPO Press Release 2025)
Iranian Journal of International and Comparative Law
Volume 3, Issue 2
December 2025

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics