Article 72: Provocation (heat of passion)
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดบันดาลโทสะโดยถูกข่มเหงอย่างร้ายแรงด้วยเหตุอันไม่เป็นธรรม จึงกระทำความผิดต่อผู้ข่มเหงในขณะนั้น ศาลจะลงโทษผู้นั้นน้อยกว่าที่กฎหมายกำหนดไว้สำหรับความผิดนั้นเพียงใดก็ได้
English translation
Whoever, being provoked to anger by being seriously oppressed through an unjust act, thereupon commits an offence against the person who so oppressed him at that moment, the Court may inflict on him a punishment less than that provided by law for such offence to any extent.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 72 is the provocation provision in Book 1, a mitigating rule rather than a defence. Its elements are serious oppression by an unjust act, anger arising from that oppression, and an offence committed against the oppressor at that moment, while the passion still runs. The requirement that the response be against the person who provoked it, and that it be immediate, distinguishes provocation from calculated retaliation; a cooling-off period ordinarily defeats the plea, though the case law accepts that a short interval does not break the continuity if the anger has not subsided. Because it only mitigates, the doer is convicted of the underlying offence (often homicide under Section 288) but the court may sentence below the statutory range. It frequently appears alongside self-defence pleas and is assessed on the facts of provocation and timing.
Why this matters in practice
Section 72 is one of the most commonly used mitigation pleas in violent-offence cases, especially homicide, because it can drop the sentence well below the statutory range while the conviction stands. Success depends on two facts: that the accused was seriously and unjustly provoked, and that the reaction was immediate, directed at the provoker while the anger was still hot. The continuity point is often decisive; a brief interval, such as going home and returning, does not always break provocation if the fury had not subsided, but a genuine cooling-off usually does. Because provocation is fact-sensitive and frequently paired with a self-defence argument, careful presentation of the trigger and timing with a Thai criminal lawyer can materially reduce exposure.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 1109/2567 (2024)
Provocation under Section 72 is not broken by a short interval if the anger continues without subsiding; a defendant who briefly left and returned while still enraged acted in the heat of passion.
After being kicked in the face, the defendant rode home about 600 metres away and returned. The Court held that the short trip did not break the continuity of his anger, which was still boiling, so the act was committed under provocation within Section 72.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 2952/2567 (2024)
A defendant who kills the person who provoked him while in the heat of passion is guilty of killing under provocation, for which Section 72 permits a punishment below the statutory level.
The trial court convicted the first defendant of killing another under provocation, applying Section 288 with Section 72, and mitigated the sentence on that basis. The case illustrates provocation reducing the penalty for an intentional killing of the provoker.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 291 Supreme Court decisions (1957 to 2025)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 7400/2568 (2025)
- Decision 1196/2564 (2021)
- Décision 1020/2563 (2020)
- Decision 6936/2562 (2019)
- Decision 2440/2562 (2019)
- Decision 1939/2561 (2018)
- Decision 5486/2560 (2017)
- Decision 11817/2556 (2013)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 288 232
- Article 78 171
- Article 91 99
- Article 80 87
- Article 33 74
- Article 371 59
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
Qu’est-ce que la provocation au sens de l’article 72 ?
Il s'agit d'une circonstance atténuante pour une personne qui, sous l'effet d'une provocation grave et injustifiée, commet une infraction à l'encontre de son agresseur, alors qu'elle est encore sous le coup de la colère. Le tribunal peut alors prononcer une peine inférieure au seuil légal, dans toute la mesure où cela est possible.
La provocation excuse-t-elle le crime ?
Non. L’article 72 réduit seulement la peine ; il n’efface pas la culpabilité. La personne est toujours reconnue coupable de l’infraction initiale, mais peut se voir infliger une peine inférieure à la peine prévue par la loi.
Un court délai suffit-il à invalider une allégation de provocation ?
Pas nécessairement. Les tribunaux admettent qu'un bref intervalle, comme le fait de s'absenter brièvement puis de revenir, peut ne pas suffire à mettre fin à la provocation si la colère n'est pas retombée, mais une véritable période de réflexion permet généralement de réfuter la demande.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 72 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 72. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-72/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 72 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-72/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-72/"><p>Whoever, being provoked to anger by being seriously oppressed through an unjust act, thereupon commits an offence against the person who so oppressed him at that moment, the Court may inflict on him a punishment less than that provided by law for such offence to…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 72 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-72/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.