Nulla poena sine lege
LEGAL PRINCIPLE THAT PENALTIES CAN BE IMPOSED ONLY FOR VIOLATIONS OF LAW
Nullum crimen, nulla poena sine praevia lege poenali; Nullum crimen sine lege; Nullum delictum, nulla poena sine praevia lege poenali; Nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege praevia; Nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege; Nullum crimen et nulla poene sine lege; Nullum crimen et nulla poena sine lege; Nulla pœna sine lege; Nulla poena sine lege praevia; Nulla poena sine lege scripta; Nulla poena sine lege certa; Nulla poena sine lege stricta; No penalty without law
Nulla poena sine lege (Latin for "no penalty without law", Anglicized pronunciation: ) is a legal principle which states that one cannot be punished for doing something that is not prohibited by law. This principle is accepted and codified in modern democratic states as a basic requirement of the rule of law.