A Critical Analysis of the Legal Requirements for Witness Testimony in Light of Social Transformations: A Comparative Examination of the Concepts of Vagrancy and Begging in Relation to Social Exclusion.

Article 177 of the 2013 Islamic Penal Code considers "non-engagement in begging" and "non-vagrancy" as prerequisites for accepting witness testimony. However, these two conditions have faced serious challenges in light of recent social developments in Iran, particularly from rational and legal persp...

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Publicado en:Fiqh (1735-3181) Vol. 31; no. 120; pp. 169 - 202
Autores principales: Najibzadeh, Fatemeh, Gholamalipour, Moein
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Fiqh Journal Winter2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: A Critical Analysis of the Legal Requirements for Witness Testimony in Light of Social Transformations: A Comparative Examination of the Concepts of Vagrancy and Begging in Relation to Social Exclusion.
      aug:
        au:
          Najibzadeh, Fatemeh
          Gholamalipour, Moein
        affil:
          PhD Candidate, Department of Jurisprudence and Principles of Islamic Law, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
          Assistant Professor, Department of Private Law, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Malard Branch, Tehran, Iran
      su:
        Vagrancy
        Legislative reform
        Social marginality
        Justice
        Criminal codes
      sug:
        subj:
          Vagrancy
          Legislative reform
          Social marginality
          Justice
          Criminal codes
      keyword:
        Article 177 of the Islamic Penal Code
        beggar
        hand-to-mouth seeker
        socially excluded individuals
        vagrant
      ab: Article 177 of the 2013 Islamic Penal Code considers "non-engagement in begging" and "non-vagrancy" as prerequisites for accepting witness testimony. However, these two conditions have faced serious challenges in light of recent social developments in Iran, particularly from rational and legal perspectives. This study aims to re re-examine these concepts through jurisprudential, social, and legal lenses and to provide a foundational basis for legislative reform. Using a descriptive descriptive-analytical method and relying on library resources and data from fiqh software, the findings indicate that the concepts of "beggar" and "vagrant" require redefinition in contemporary social discourse. Only individuals who adopt begging as a profession and a means of livelihood should be excluded from being witnesses--not those who resort to it temporarily or out of necessity. Moreover, vagrancy can only be defined when three indicators--homelessness, unemployment, and reliance on wandering for survival--are simultaneously present. Ultimately, applying these labels to "socially excluded individuals" without precise differentiation not only contradicts principles of justice and the strict interpretation of criminal law but also complicates the process of proving guilt and paves the way for injustice in the target society.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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