A statute establishing the punishability of an act, or increasing the penalty, does not possess retroactive force.
Chapter Three
Concerning Crimes
Article 7. The concept of crime.
A crime is a socially dangerous act (of commission or omission) specified in the Special Part of the present Code which infringes upon the Soviet social or governmental system, the socialist system of economy, socialist property, the person, political, labor, property, and other rights of citizens, or any other dangerous act infringing upon the socialist legal order specified by the Special Part of the present Code.
An act of commission or omission which, although it formally contains the elements of an act specified in the Special Pert of the present Code, does not represent a social danger owing to its insignificance, is not a crime.
Article 8. The premeditated commission of a crime.
A crime is considered to have been premeditated if the person who committed it was aware of the socially dangerous character of his action or inaction, foresaw its socially dangerous consequences, and desired or consciously permitted the occurrence of those consequences.
Article 9. The commission of a crime through negligence.
A crime is considered to have been committed through negligence if the person who committed it foresaw the possibility of the occurrence of the socially dangerous consequences of his action or inaction but frivolously counted on their prevention, or if he did not foresee the possibility of the occurrence of such consequences although he could have foreseen them.
Article 10. The liability of minors.
Persons who have reached the age of 16 years prior to the commission of a crime are criminally liable.
Persons who have committed crimes between the ages of 14 and 16
