The Role of the Prosecutor in Preventing Environmental Crimes in West Azerbaijan Province with Regard to Global Standards
Keywords:
Environmental crime, Crime prevention, Prosecutor, Judicial oversight, Environmental protection, West Azerbaijan ProvinceAbstract
This study aims to explain and analyze the role of prosecutors in the criminal and non-criminal prevention of environmental crimes in West Azerbaijan Province, considering international standards and identifying related legal, executive, and judicial challenges. This research employed a mixed-method design (qualitative and quantitative). In the qualitative phase, the content analysis method was used to identify factors contributing to environmental crimes and the prosecutor’s preventive role, based on in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, including prosecutors, heads of justice departments, and environmental officials in West Azerbaijan Province. In the quantitative phase, a survey method was applied to assess and rank the impact of identified factors and preventive strategies from the perspective of 100 judges and environmental experts. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that the most prevalent environmental crimes in the province include illegal occupation of natural resources, land grabbing and land-use change, deforestation, poor waste management, pollution of water, soil, and air resources, unauthorized mining, illegal grazing, excessive tree cutting, and greenhouse gas emissions. Among causal factors, weaknesses in supervisory and law enforcement agencies had the highest impact (72.82%), followed by deficiencies in executive interventions (71.06%), judicial inconsistencies (69.02%), and legal gaps and conflicts (47.66%). The prosecutor plays a significant role in mitigating these weaknesses through legal oversight, monitoring law enforcement, and implementing both criminal and non-criminal preventive measures. The study concludes that strengthening the prosecutor’s preventive authority and adopting an integrated, multi-sectoral approach involving judicial, executive, and public cooperation are vital for reducing environmental crimes. Establishing specialized courts, increasing environmental police capacity, and enhancing public environmental awareness are recommended to align national practices with international environmental protection standards.
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