View source for Plea of necessity

== Definition ==

<section begin=Definition />
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="background-color:#ffffcc;"
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! scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffaa;"| [[Plea of necessity]]
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|[[File:Necessity.svg|alt=|left|frameless|200x200px]]The plea of necessity allows a State to act in exceptional cases when there is grave and imminent peril to an essential interest of the State and the action in question is the sole means of safeguarding that interest.<ref>ILC [http://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/commentaries/9_6_2001.pdf Articles on State Responsibility], Art 25(1)(a).</ref> Even then, the plea of necessity requires that the injured State’s action be balanced with the interests of any States that would be affected and with those of the international community.<ref>ILC [http://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/commentaries/9_6_2001.pdf Articles on State Responsibility], Art 25(1)(b).</ref> The injured State’s action must not seriously impair the essential interests of any other State.<ref>ILC [http://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/commentaries/9_6_2001.pdf Articles on State Responsibility], Art 25(1)(b).</ref> The plea of necessity is not available to injured States that have substantially contributed to the situation in which they find themselves.<ref>ILC [http://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/commentaries/9_6_2001.pdf Articles on State Responsibility], Art 25(1)(b).</ref> However, the plea of necessity can be asserted to take action against non-State actors and can justify actions that violate the rights of non-responsible States, if these conditions are met. In case the situation of necessity is caused by the conduct of non-State actors, attribution of this conduct to a State is not a precondition for acting based on the plea of necessity.

<i>Publicly available [[Plea of necessity#National positions|national positions that address this issue]] include:</i>
[[Image:Flag of France.svg|30px|link=National position of France (2019)#Distress and necessity|National position of France (2019)]][[National position of France (2019)#Distress and necessity| (2019)]], 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.svg|30px|link=National position of Germany (2021)#Plea of necessity|National position of Germany (2021)]][[National position of Germany (2021)#Plea of necessity| (2021)]], 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.svg|30px|link=National position of Japan (2021)#Plea of necessity|National position of Japan (2021)]][[National position of Japan (2021)#Plea of necessity| (2021)]], 
[[Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|30px|link=National position of the Netherlands (2019)#Plea of necessity|National position of the Netherlands (2019)]][[National position of the Netherlands (2019)#Plea of necessity| (2019)]], 
[[Image:Flag of Norway.svg|30px|link=National position of Norway (2021)#Plea of necessity|National position of Norway (2021)]][[National position of Norway (2021)#Plea of necessity| (2021)]],
[[Image:Flag of Sweden.svg|30px|link=National position of the Kingdom of Sweden (2022)#Plea of necessity|National position of the Kingdom of Sweden (2022)]][[National position of the Kingdom of Sweden (2022)#Plea of necessity| (2022)]], 
[[Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg|20px|link=National position of Switzerland (2021)#Plea of necessity|National position of Switzerland (2021)]][[National position of Switzerland (2021)#Plea of necessity| (2021)]].
|}<section end="Definition" />

==National positions==
===[[National position of France (2019)|France (2019)]]===
{{#lst:National position of France (2019)|FR_2019 necessity }}
===[[National position of Germany (2021)|Germany (2021)]]===
{{#lst:National position of Germany (2021)|DE_2021 necessity }}
===[[National position of Japan (2021)|Japan (2021)]]===
{{#lst:National position of Japan (2021)|JP_2021 necessity }}
===[[National position of the Netherlands (2019)|Netherlands (2019)]]===
{{#lst:National position of the Netherlands|NL_2019 necessity }}
===[[National position of Norway (2021)|Norway (2021)]]===
{{#lst:National position of Norway (2021)|NO_2021 necessity }}
===[[National position of the Kingdom of Sweden (2022)|Sweden (2022)]]===
{{#lst:National position of the Kingdom of Sweden (2022)|SE_2022 necessity }}
===[[National position of Switzerland (2021)|Switzerland (2021)]]===
{{#lst:National position of Switzerland (2021)|CH_2021 necessity }}

==Appendixes==

===See also===

*[[Scenario 14: Ransomware campaign]]

===Notes and references===
<references />

=== Bibliography and further reading===
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* MN Schmitt (ed), ''Tallinn Manual 2.0 on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations'' (CUP 2017)
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[[Category:Plea of necessity]]
[[Category:Legal concepts]]