The Strafgesetzbuch is the German, Swiss, Liechtenstein and Austrian criminal law. It is often abbreviated to StGB. This article focuses on the German code. Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. ...

History

The German Strafgesetzbuch goes back to the Strafgesetzbuch of the German Empire passed in the year 1871 which was mostly identical to the StGB of the North German Confederation. Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I Capital Berlin Language(s) Official: German Unofficial minority languages: Polish (Posen, Lower Silesia,Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... North German Federation (in German, Norddeutscher Bund), came into existence in 1867, following the dissolution of the German Confederation. ...

This Reichsstrafgesetzbuch (Imperial Criminal Law) was changed very many times in the following decades as the legislature had to react not only to changing moral concepts and constitutional provision granted by the Grundgesetz, but also to scientific and technical reforms. Examples of such new crimes are money laundering or computer sabotage. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the constitution of modern Germany. ... Money laundering is the practice of engaging in financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source and destination of the money in question. ... A BlueGene supercomputer cabinet. ... Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction. ...

The StGB serves as a codification of criminal law, i.e. although there are various provisions affecting criminal law, such as definitions of crimes and law enforcement, in other acts, the StGB is the central legal text and constitutes the foundation of Germany's criminal law. In law, codification is the process of collecting and restating the law of a jurisdiction in certain areas, usually by subject, forming the legal code. ...

As a direct result of the Third Reich the Strafgesetzbuch contains sections that prohibit Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

• Friedensverrat ("treason to peace"): Preparation of a war of aggression (§ 80) and incitement to a war of aggression (§ 80a)
• dissemination of means of propaganda of unconstitutional organizations (§86)
• use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations (§86a)
• incitement to racial hatred (Volksverhetzung) (§130)

Since 2002, it is possible for German prosecutors to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide internationally under the Völkerstrafgesetzbuch ("people's criminal code" or "international criminal code"). Volksverhetzung (German: agitation of the people) is a peculiarity of German law that bans the incitement of hatred against a minority of the population. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... This article is in need of attention. ... In the context of war, a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... Look up Genocide in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Structure

The StGB is divided into two main parts:

General Part ("Allgemeiner Teil"): in which general issues are arranged, for example:

• Area of the law's validity
• Law-related definitions
• Capacity to be adjudged guilty
• Perpetration and incitement or accessoryship
• Necessary Defence
• General provisions for Punishments (Fines, and Imprisonment)
• Statutes of limitations
• Attempts

Special Part ("Besonderer Teil"): in which the different criminal offences and their definitions and punishments are listed, for example: Look up Punishment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A fine is money paid as a financial punishment for the commission of minor crimes or as the settlement of a claim. ... A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. ... for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ...

• Crimes against the democratic rule of law
• Crimes against public order
• Crimes against the person of a sexual nature
• Crimes against life
• Crimes against another person's wealth (for example robbery and theft)

External links

• German Strafgesetzbuch
• German Strafgesetzbuch (in English)
• Swiss Strafgesetzbuch
• Lichtenstein Strafgesetzbuch