bezprawne

Bezprawne is a Polish adjective meaning not in accordance with the law or unlawful. It is used to describe actions, measures, or states that lack legal justification or violate legal norms. The related noun is bezprawie, which denotes a state of lawlessness or an overall breakdown of the rule of law. The adverb form is bezprawnie.

Etymology and usage. The term derives from the words prawo (law) and prefix bez- (without). In everyday and legal language bezprawne typically modifies a noun, for example działanie bezprawne (unlawful action), przemoc bezprawna (unlawful violence), or ubezwłasnowolnienie bezprawne (unlawful deprivation of rights). The neuter form bezprawne is common when describing neutral nouns, while bezprawny and bezprawna are used for masculine and feminine nouns respectively.

Legal context. In Polish civil and criminal law, czyn bezprawny (unlawful act) is a core concept indicating behavior that infringes rights and lacks legal justification, which can ground liability even without criminal sanctions. Bezprawie also appears in constitutional and human rights discourse to describe serious violations or a collapse of legal order, such as during periods of occupation, rebellion, or wartime, when normal legal protections are suspended. Distinctions are often drawn between bezprawne działania and actions that are merely illegal but with some lawful justification (privilege, necessity, or self-defense), highlighting the nuance between unlawfulness and illegality.

See also and related terms. Bezprawny, bezprawność, bezprawie, niezgodny z prawem, legalny. The term is common in legal commentaries, court decisions, and scholarly discussions addressing the boundaries and enforcement of the law.