Murder (Croatian law)

In Croatia, murder is classified into 3 categories: ubojstvo, teško ubojstvo and usmrćenje according to the 10th section of the Criminal Law of 2011.^[1]

Teško ubojstvo: Murder with Special Circumstances

Any murder of a police officer, child under the age of 14, murder of multiple people, or murder committed along with any violent felony classifies as murder with special circumstances. It is punishable with no less than 10 years imprisonment, or a long-term sentence (up to 40 years of imprisonment under Croatian law).^[2]

Ubojstvo: Murder

This is classified any intentional killing of another human being with no special circumstances. Punishable with no less than 5 years of imprisonment.^[3]

Usmrćenje and Prouzročenje smrti iz nehaja: Manslaughter

There are three forms of usmrćenje, or reckless murder:

• A murder that has been provoked - punishable no less than 1 year and not more than 10 years of prison.^[4]
• Mother murdering their child after birth - six months to five years.^[4]
• Sympathy killing - up to three years.^[4]

There's also prouzročenje smrti iz nehaja, meaning involuntary manslaughter, which carries a penalty of six months to five years imprisonment.^[5]

Suicide and abortion

The criminal law also defines separate penalties for:

• assisting in a suicide^[6]
• assisting in an illegal abortion^[7]

References

1. Kazneni zakon, 2011, X. Kaznena djela protiv života i tijela
2. Kazneni zakon, 2011, X. Kaznena djela protiv života i tijela, article 111.
3. Kazneni zakon, 2011, X. Kaznena djela protiv života i tijela, article 110.
4. Kazneni zakon, 2011, X. Kaznena djela protiv života i tijela, article 112.
5. Kazneni zakon, 2011, X. Kaznena djela protiv života i tijela, article 113.
6. Kazneni zakon, 2011, X. Kaznena djela protiv života i tijela, article 114.
7. Kazneni zakon, 2011, X. Kaznena djela protiv života i tijela, article 115.

Sources

• Croatian Parliament (2011-11-07). "Kazneni zakon". Narodne novine (in Croatian) (125/2011). Retrieved 2012-09-17.