International Criminal Law

International Criminal Law

Investigating the new dimensions of crimes against reputation in the context of social networks and analyzing the effectiveness of Iran's legislative criminal policy in the international arena

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
alireza payande kia 1
majid shayegan fard 1
abas sheijholeslami 2
1 Department of Law , Ma.C,, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Department of Law, Ma.C, ,Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.
10.22034/iclj.2026.546521.1182
Abstract
The expansion of social networks over the past decade has transformed the structure of crime and victimization in cyberspace and has exposed crimes against reputation to new dimensions and instances. Behaviors that were previously analyzed in Iranian criminal law mainly under the heading of insult, defamation, spreading lies, satire, and slander have become more intense and complex in the digital context with new publishing capabilities, the possibility of endless reproduction of content, the anonymity of users, and the elimination of geographical boundaries, and have left more serious consequences on the reputation and dignity of individuals. This study, with a descriptive-analytical approach and based on a documentary review, attempts to clarify how the technological and structural features of social networks play a role in the formation of new instances of defamation and to what extent the existing Iranian regulations are responsive in terms of defining instances, determining liability, the possibility of collecting and citing digital evidence, and ensuring compensation and restoration of reputation. The analysis of the laws shows that the current regulations, including the Islamic Penal Code and the Computer Crimes Law, face conceptual, legislative, and executive gaps in the face of emerging challenges in this area. The findings indicate that improving the efficiency of Iran's criminal policy requires redesigning a coherent and up-to-date mechanism that is compatible with the requirements of technology, digital behavior, and new governance standards in the international arena.
Keywords
Crimes against dignity
cyberspace
social networks
legislative criminal policy
victimization
Iranian criminal law
International Criminal Law

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 31 May 2026

  • Receive Date 11 September 2025
  • Revise Date 28 December 2025
  • Accept Date 31 May 2026