Laws of the Sith Imperium

The Laws of the Sith Imperium are the rules and regulations in which all its sworn citizens follow. Failure to follow such laws, or the deliberate breaking of them, allow for the intervention of the Ministry of Law and Justice. The Ministry is tasked with enforcing these rules, and if deemed necessary, punish those who broke them.
==Traditional Laws==
1.  Maintain the Emperor's Order: 
*​The Sith Imperium is ruled by it's sovereign and Sith'ari, his word is law.
*The Will of the Lord Emperor acts with the unquestionable authority of the Lord Emperor.
*The Knights of the Imperium are the guardians of the Lord Emperor, the Imperial Family, and the High Council.
​2.  Honor the Emperor's Philosophy:
*We are the the followers of the One Sith code and enemies of Jedi Heresy. We are one Sith, in mind, body and force. Passion is our guide, power is our tool, strength is our weapon and victory is our goal. To strike against our own is to strike against ourselves.
​​​3.  Follow the Emperor's Plan:
*The Imperium's mandate is to expand, perfect and where necessary conquer. 
​4.  Keep the Emperor's Peace:
*We embrace diversity and all forms of passion and we oppose indiscriminate slaughter. 
*We serve the Imperium and divisions, politics and intrigue must only exist when in support of the Imperium and its Emperor. 
​5.  Protect the Imperium's Resources:
*The Emperor is the guardian of the Imperium's treasury and our shared resources. These resources include any and all knowledge or materials.
*All financial transactions occur only with the Emperor's authority and all physical transactions of Imperium Property must be with the consent of a member of the High Council. 
*Citizens with the means to contribute should contribute as is their duty and the Emperor's command. 
​6.  Defend the Emperor's Realm:
*We claim Amgarrak as our homeworld. Our homeword and Imperium Territory are to be defended with our lives. 
​7.  ​Respect the Emperor's Diplomacy:
*The Emperor may make alliances to expand the Imperium's power and standing. Those alliances are to be honored.
8.  Remember the Emperor's Covenant:
*The Emperor is duty bound to rule to the benefit of the citizens of the Imperium. As citizens serve the Emperor, he serves the Imperium and must rule with wisdom and justice in mind.
​9.  ​Obey the Emperor's Law:
*All Citizens are bound by this law, those who stand against this order shall be judged according to the will of the Emperor. 
==Trial and Punishment==
Imperium Public Law (IPL) 1-1 - Trial by Tribunal and Admissions of Guilt. 
: Imperium citizens who are charged with a crime have the right to be presented with their choice of the following options: (a) Admission of Guilt, held under arrest until a investigation either proves or disproves innocence ; or in case of high crimes Trial by Tribunal.
: When a charge is presented to the Emperor or the head of the Ministry of Law and Justice either will hold a preliminary hearing for the defendant to choose his options and choose.
IPL 1-1 Subsection (a) - Admission of Guilt
: Should a citizen choose to admit their guilt to a crime and beg for mercy they may (at the discretion of the presiding officer) be granted the lessor punishment required for their level of crime. 
IPL 1-1 Subsection (b) - Trial by Tribunal.
Should a trial be required , the follow occurs:
# The Emperor, the Head of the Ministry of Law and Justice or the Emperor's designee shall hold a hearing when enough members are present for the trial. For the purposes of the trial at least five members need to be present (three judges, the prosecution and the defense).
# The Emperor, the Head of the Ministry of Law and Justice or the Emperor's designee shall serve as the impartial chief judge of the tribunal as well as choose the prosecutor. The prosecution will choose one associate judge and the defense will choose the other. The judges if possible should not be partial or connected to the crime. If it is impossible to assign three impartial judges the prosecution and defense can object to replace any of the two associate judge but not the chief judge. Should there be no one available to replace the two associate judges the prosecution or defense can object and request a single judge, the chief judge to preside over the trial.
The Trial will be conducted as follows:
#The Prosecution will present its case and call its witnesses. The defense may object to facts that are not in evidence, leading questions and/or things that seem procedurally inappropriate. All witnesses called by the prosecution will be first questioned by the prosecutor, then the defendant, and finally the judges. When the prosecution has no more witnesses they will give their final remarks and rest their case.
#The defendant or defense advocate will present his or her rebuttal and call witnesses. The prosecution may object to facts not in evidence, leading questions and/or things that seem procedurally inappropriate. All witnesses called by the defense will be first questioned by the prosecutor, then the defense, and finally the judges. When the defense has no more witnesses they will give their final remarks and close their case.
#* All defendants have the right to consult with or be represented by a member of the Imperium Advocacy Group for all criminal proceedings, excepting high crimes. This includes, but is not limited to, interrogations, tribunals, and appeals.
#When an objection is presented the chief judge will decide whether to sustain the objection or overrule and give his ruling on the matter. Should the associate judges disagree they should side bar with the chief judge who will consider their objection and either restate his ruling or reverse it.
#When the prosecution and defense rest their case the judges shall leave the chamber to deliberate in private. For high crimes the judges must be unanimous to find the defendant guilty. For misdemeanors two of the three judges is sufficient to find the defendant guilty.
#Should the ruling and sentencing be carried out by a designee of the Emperor, the defense may appeal the ruling to the head of the Ministry of Law and Justice. Subsequently the defense may appeal a ruling of the head of the Ministry of Law and Justice to the Emperor. The Emperor's ruling, however, is always final regardless of whether or not his court is the first trial.
IPL 1-1 Subsection (d) Sovereign's right. 
: On all punishments the sovereign reserves the right to suspend, lessen the punishment or pardon the guilty party. 
Imperium Public Law (IPL) 1-2 - Repeat Offenders - Three Strikes Law
: Should a citizen commit and be found guilty of three misdemeanors, upon the consideration of a subsequent misdemeanor, a tribunal may consider treating the offense as a "felony" and can impose penalties described for "felonies" in IPL 1-1 (b) para. 6.
: Additionally, should a citizen commit and be found guilty of three felonies, upon the consideration of a subsequent misdemeanor, a tribunal may consider treating the offense as a "high crime" and can impose penalties described for "high crimes" in IPL 1-1 (b) para. 7.
Imperium Public Law (IPL) 1-3 - The Zetera Exile and Treason Law
: The speaking of the name of "Dhani Zetera" or "Dhanilich" shall be a misdemeanor offense and subject to penalty per the finding and sentencing laws referred to in (IPL) 1-1(a),(b),(c) and (d). 
: Additionally, Clan Zeron is declared disbanded and any activities in relation to this clan are illegal.
: Citizens who harbor or give aid and comfort to enemies of the Imperium shall be guilty of treason and be subject to penalty per the finding and sentencing laws referred to in (IPL) 1-1(a),(b),(c) and (d). 
Imperium Public Law (IPL) 1-4 - Rescinding of Citizenship
: All citizens of the Imperium are subject to the Emperor's Laws, regardless of the planet they are currently on. Any citizen who flees Imperium space to avoid arrest or investigation, to hinder or refuse to aid an investigation (also known as obstruction), or to avail themselves of the protections of that planet's governing body hereby forfeit their citizenship within the Imperium. They will then be subject to pursuit and investigation by the Ministry of Intelligence and the Ministry of Law.
: Offenders with rescinded citizenship who are arrested and returned to the Imperium lose the right to a tribunal, and may be imprisoned indefinitely.
Imperium Public Law (IPL) 1-5 - Imprisonment of Non-Citizens
: In the event of a Non-Combatant, Non-Imperium Citizen committing crimes against the Imperium, the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Ministry of Intelligence reserve the right to imprison the subject indefinitely. Imprisonment may end if the offender becomes a sworn citizen of the Imperium, and is therefore pardoned of the crime and placed on a watch, a treaty with the offender's government dictates their release, the offender is deemed to no longer pose a threat to the Imperium, or the Lord Emperor of the Imperium decrees their release.
: Any offender arrested under (IPL) 1-4 is not subject to repatriation under section (a) of this law.
: Any Non-Combatant, Non-Citizens held by, and deemed to be a threat by either the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Intelligence or the Lord Emperor. May be disposed of by the means deemed necessary to protect the Imperium.
Imperium Public Law (IPL) 1-6 - Handling Of Juveniles
In the event of a Juvenile being deemed the target or being in conflict with the law certain procedures must be met. The accused Juvenile can still be held and charged with the crime they have committed, however the punishment for the crime may be adjusted. A juvenile cannot be sent to death, and instead must be sent to the Ministry of Law, for either detainment, Rehabilitation, or another means of seeing their sentence served till either they come of age or they have served the correct sentence. 
==Offenses==
===High Crimes===
The penalties for high crimes may be: death by saber or sarlacc, exile, imprisonment (in carbonite or aboard the HMS Itinerant), house arrest, demotion AND/OR fines of 100k to 500k credits. Prison terms are established by RP length, with the maximum incarceration being ten RP years.
When convening high crimes trials the Lord Emperor himself will appoint all three judicators. In the event of a tribunal for a high crime, the defendant is barred from having an advocate present and is furthermore barred from cross examining the Throne's witnesses.'''
*Treason: Treason is defined as the act, attempt, or planning of overthrowing the Lord Emperor and/or the Imperium itself, the gathering of conspirators against the Lord Emperor, and/or the discussion of overthrowing the Lord Emperor and/or the Imperium. Any evidence that suggests treason will result in the immediate arrest and prosecution of the accused. If found guilty, the severity of the penalty will be decided by the tribunal's panel and the Lord Emperor.
*Heresy: Heresy is defined as the explicit disregard for the Sith code, or the promotion of the Jedi Code. Any evidence that suggests heresy will result in the immediate arrest of the accused. It will then be decided amongst the members of the high council whether or not the accused is to be tried or punished.
*Terrorism: Terrorism is defined as the unlawful use of of violence and intimidation against the Imperium and her citizens, in the pursuit of political aims. Any evidence that suggests terrorism will result in the immediate arrest and prosecution of the accused. If found guilty, the severity of the penalty will be decided by the tribunal's panel and the Lord Emperor.
**Per the (Clever Acronym to Come) Articles (also known as the SOLARIA Addenda), an act of terrorism can also be defined as any act, attempted act, or means that could result in grievous harm to citizens, the Lord Emperor, the Will, or the Dark Council. 
=== Felonies ===
The penalties for felonies may be: imprisonment aboard the HMS Itinerant, house arrest, demotion AND/OR fines of 10k to 100k credits. Prison terms are established by RP length, with the maximum incarceration being two RP years.
For non-third strike felonies, the Lord Emperor, or the High Judicator. May decided on the correct punishment provided enough evidence has been supplied to support sentencing the accused.
* Murder: While needing no definition, any individual accused of murder will be arrested and prosecuted. If found guilty, the severity of the penalty will be decided by the High Judicator, or the Lord Emperor
* Kidnapping: As another felony that needs no definition, any individual accused of kidnapping will be arrested and prosecuted. If found guilty, the severity of the penalty will be decided by the High Judicator, or the Lord Emperor.
* Grand Theft: Any act of theft, involving items valued above 50k credits, against the Imperium or her members will result in immediate arrest, recovery of items stolen, and punishment, the severity of which will be decided by the High Judicator, or Lord Emperor.
* Aggravated Assault: Any act of assault resulting in the greivous bodily harm of one or more parties by another party, or any act of assault in which a victim wishes to press charges, will result in immediate arrest of the aggressor and punishment, the severity of which will be decided by the High Judicator, or Lord Emperor.
*Cowardice: All citizens who show cowardice in the face of the enemy, and rank lower than an Imperial Knight, shall be punished in accordance with the severity of their crime. As per the Emperor's decree, all members of Knight rank or above who show cowardice in the face of the enemy forfeit their own lives as punishment.
*Violation of Treaty: Any citizen who violates a treaty between this Imperium and another faction, including the Empire, will be arrested and punished, the severity of which to be determined by the severity of the crime, and the parties affected by the accused's actions.
Any and all other crimes shall be dealt with on a singular basis.
===Misdemeanors===
For misdemeanors the penalties may be: demotion, detention in the Hall of Justice AND/OR fines of not more than 10k credits and not less than 1k. Detention terms are established by RP length, with the maximum incarceration being 6 RP months.
For non-third strike misdemeanors, the High Judicator will convene a hearing, chaired by a judicator of their choosing. The High Judicator may also choose to chair these hearings.
*Dereliction of Duty: Failure to expand, protect, and (where necessary) conquer in the name of the Imperium will result in arrest and punishment, the severity of which will be dictated by the severity of the dereliction, and will be carried out by the offended Ministry, and the Ministry of Law. 
*Disturbing the Peace: While considered a blanket term for arrests that disrupt the daily routine of a public place. Any acts of vocal opposition to a decree of the Emperor, the Imperial Family, or the Council, or speaking out of turn at a council meeting, or disturbances that disrupt the daily routine of a public place (i.e. drunk and disorderly conduct, acts of public aggression, etc.), will result in immediate arrest and punishment, the severity of which will be dictated by the severity of the misdemeanor.
*Minor Theft: Any act of theft, involving items valued below 50k credits, against the Imperium or her members will result in immediate arrest, recovery of items stolen, and punishment, the severity of which will be dictated by the High Judicator (or selected proxy), the Will of the Emperor, or the Lord Emperor.
*Assault: Any act of assault resulting in the bodily harm of one or more parties by another party will result in immediate arrest and punishment, the severity of which will be dictated by the severity of the misdemeanor.''''
*Tax Evasion: Citizens who are in three week or greater delinquency shall be arrested turned over to the minister of Law and Justice for adjudication. Single refusals to contribute to the war effort shall be considered misdemeanors. Multiple refusals to contribute to the war effort shall be considered a felony and may be treated as such by a tribunal.
*Obstruction of Justice: Citizens (including members of the Dark Council and the Aristocracy) who willfully impede the investigation of any crime through dishonesty, theft, obscuration, or other means shall be arrested and turned over to the High Judicator for punisment. The severity of this crime may also entail a charge of felony obstruction, which may result in a tribunal hearing along with any and all felony punishments levied as a result of the tribunal.
Any and all other crimes shall be dealt with on a singular basis.
==Arrest Procedures==
Arrests of citizens of the Imperium must be for a crime, unless the arrest is issued by the Emperor.
To arrest a citizen for a crime, the crime must be reported to/discovered by and investigated by either the Constabulary Branch of Law & Justice, or the Imperium Knights. Upon completion of the investigation, the Grand Inquisitor will then get a warrant for the arrest of the citizen which must be approved by either the High Judicator (Head of the Ministry), the Will or the Emperor. 
After the warrant is approved, the Grand Inquisitor must present the warrant to an authority who can execute the warrant. The Grand Master of the Knights of the Imperium, the Will, and the Emperor of the Sith Imperium each have the authority to issue an order to execute an arrest warrant. 
* The Supreme Commander may only approve the warrant if the crimes are directed against or involve members of the Ministry of War. If the Supreme Commander approves the execution of the warrant they may command military personnel to execute the arrest.
* If the Grandmaster of the Knights of the Imperium approves the execution of the warrant they may command Knights to execute the arrest.
* If the Emperor approves the execution of the warrant they may command anyone to execute the arrest.
* If any of the above authorities refuse to issue an execution of a warrant the Grand Inquisitor has the right to seek permission from a seperate authority. If the Emperor refuses to issue an execution of a warrant then the warrant is considered nullified.
Should the Grand Inquisitor wish to arrest a member of the High Council the warrant must be approved by the Will and/or the majority of the Dark Council the execution of arrest order must be issued by the Emperor or his designee.
Should the Grand Inquisitor wish to arrest a member of the Aristocracy the warrant must be approved by a Hand of the Emperor, and/or the majority of the Dark Council, and execution of arrest order must be issued by the Emperor or his designee.
In theory a warrant may be sought by any member of the High Council or Judicator who has reason to believe a citizen is guilty of a crime, should the Grand Inquisitor not be available. 
Non-judicial arrests such as arrests in relation to a military operation or the immediate security of the state or by the command of the Emperor are not governed by this policy
==Investigation and Interrogation Procedures==
=== Investigations ===
All investigations must adhere to the guidelines given below, or else any and all evidence, conclusions, and reports compiled over the course of the investigation are subject to dismissal by the court.
* Any and all evidence must be collected as soon as possible.
* Any and all evidence must be collected and handled with care, and shall remain un-tampered. Efforts to achieve this include, but are not limited to the use of gloves, evidence bags, sterile testing environments, and masks.
** To further maintain this chain of evidence, any officer who handles evidence during the course of an investigation is required to check out and sign in any report or item that pertains to the case.
* Interviews with witnesses and suspects will be thorough and without bias. All statements made by witnesses and suspects will be investigated fully.
* Witness intimidation or coercion will not be tolerated.
* Constabulary members who have investigations involving the same party or parties will cooperate to the fullest extent possible.
* All evidence, statements, and conclusions must be detailed in the final report to the High Judicator or Grand Inquisitor and must include the following: Name of Investigator(s), crime or incident, list of witnesses and suspects, statements from witnesses and suspects, any and all interrogation reports, list of evidence and findings, any and all links to other active investigations, and any media (photographs, video, audio) related to the case. The report will then be forwarded to the appropriate parties (including, but not limited to: prosecutors, defense advocates, the judicator panel, the Lord Emperor, and the Ministry of Intelligence.)
* The details of any investigation are not to be shared with the public for any reason during the course of an investigation and/or tribunal, and may be kept under a gag order for a maximum of five years following the conclusion of the case.
=== Interrogations ===
All interrogations must adhere to the guidelines given below, or else any evidence revealed during them is subject to dismissal by the court.
*All interrogations must be held with both an Interrogator and at least one other member of the Constabulary present.
*Both the Interrogator and the Investigator must file a report with the High Judicator or Grand Inquisitor after the interrogation, who will then forward it to the appropriate parties (including, but not limited to: prosecutors, defense advocates, the judicator panel, the Lord Emperor, and the head of the Ministry of Intelligence.) These reports must include the following: Investigator's name, Interrogator's name, Subject's name, ministry, and crime (or what they witnessed) the interrogation tactics used, any and all things said by the Subject, and any damage done to the Subject. A template for said reports can be found here.
*No damage to the head and/or brain is permitted, as this may bring the subject's testimony into question.
*No truth serums of any kind my be used, as these may actually leave the subject in a suggestive state.
*For misdemeanors, Interrogators may only use minor Force powers and shock collars in order to interrogate.
*For high crimes, Interrogators may utilize all Force powers (with the exception of persuasion and all mind-penetrating powers), interrogation probes, shock collars, and physical torture.
*All subjects must be able to stand trial after interrogation.
*The details of any interrogation are not to be shared with the public for any reason during the course of an investigation and/or tribunal, and may be kept under a gag order for a maximum of five years following the conclusion of the case.
When not subjected to interrogation, all suspects must remain in their detainment cells. Unsupervised and un-detained suspects will not be tolerated and will be dealt with harshly.
Additionally, members of the Constabulary are expected to remain on-premises so long as one of their suspects is detained at the Hall of Justice.
== Duties of the Hand ==
In regards to the higher servants (or the Will) of the Lord Emperor, the Hand of the Lord Emperor dutifully discharges the absolute will of the sovereign and ensures that imperial decrees see fufillment to the best of their ability. The Hand of the Lord Emperor has two primary tasks:
* (a) When deemed necessary by the sovereign, or, in his or her absence, the Will, the Hand of the Lord Emperor serves as regent in the place of the sovereign.
* (b) When acting in official capacity, command by the Hand of the Lord Emperor shall carry the same weight and force as that of the sovereign. The Hand is an extension of the Lord Emperor and, therefore, commands issued by the Hand of the Lord Emperor, when in official capacity, should be carried out as if they were ordered by the sovereign themselves.
In regards to interaction with the Hand of the Lord Emperor, the following is true:
# Viable issue with Hand of the Lord Emperor must be taken up with Lord Emperor. 		The Lord Emperor decide do as he sees fit with the information, judging the Hand 		accordingly. This may include applying a probationary period to the Hand of the Lord 	Emperor, preventing him from acting in official capacity until such a time as deemed 	fit by the sovereign.
# The Hand of the Lord Emperor does not speak with the authority of the Lord 	Emperor when both individuals are present.
If the Emperor is deceased and the Hand of the Lord Emperor is deemed unfit to rule as regent until the coming of age of the royal heir or heir apparent, the council, by majority vote, and consent of any other member of the Will, vote. The vote must be conducted lawfully and in conscience, in line with Imperium law.
If the Hand has not committed a felony to the satisfaction of the courts, no vote shall take place.Category:RP Resources