The principle of individual criminal liability

In the process from the ancient periods when collective liability prevailed to the present day, there have been radical changes in criminal liability. The principle of individual criminal liability has become one of the basic principles of modern criminal law, depending on some developments such as the monopolization of the power of punishment by the central authority, the prohibition of personal revenge, the adoption of liberalism based on individualism and the discovering new methods in the fight against crime. According to the principle of individual criminal liability, a person can only be held liable for his own crime. Apart from this, for whatever reason, it is not possible to punish a person for a crime committed by a third person. In the first part of our study, the types of liability in criminal law, the scope, consequences, difference from some concepts in criminal law and historical development of the principle of individual criminal liability are examined. In the second part, the subject is evaluated in the context of international criminal law. After explaining the emergence and development of this principle in international law, the relevant universal and regional international documents and judicial decisions are examined. In the third part, some crimes in the Turkish Criminal Law are discussed. In terms of this principle, various articles of codes, which are frequently seen in practice and discussed, are systematically evaluated. Keywords: Criminal Liability, Principle of Individual, Types of Liability in Criminal Law, Legal Entities, International Criminal Law