Dehumanisation: An Element of the Mental State in Genocide Crimes

In connection with the Special Military Operation in Ukraine, the crimes investigation against peace and security of mankind, provided for in Section XII of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, becomes relevant. Genocide, which is one of the crimes of this group (Article 357), has a subjective component – dehumanisation. The purpose of this article is to analyse the concept “dehumanization” and the mechanism of its formation, to develop a draft legal definition of this concept and to distinguish it from other uses of this term. Methods: empirical methods of comparison, display, interpretation; theoretical methods of formal and dialectical logic; specific methods: legal–dogmatic and interpretation of legal norms. Results: the study established the evolutionary mechanism of dehumanisation, provided examples of dehumanisation and its consequences, formulated a draft legal definition, and considered options for unjustified expansion of the content of the concept “dehumanization”.