Legal Definitions - demembration

Demembration refers to the act of severing or permanently disabling a major external body part, such as a limb, an eye, or an ear. It signifies a severe form of mutilation that results in the loss of a significant bodily function or feature.

• Imagine a violent criminal act where an assailant deliberately uses a sharp object to cut off a victim's hand during an assault. This act directly involves the cutting off of a limb, constituting demembration due to the severe and permanent bodily harm inflicted.

• Consider a historical context where, as a form of severe punishment, a convicted thief's hand was intentionally amputated. In this scenario, the deliberate removal of a hand as a punitive measure clearly falls under the definition of demembration, serving as a brutal form of mutilation.

• Picture a scenario during a violent conflict where an individual intentionally severs an opponent's ear as a message or act of intimidation. Although not a full limb, the deliberate cutting off of a significant external body part like an ear, resulting in permanent disfigurement and loss of function, is considered demembration in the context of severe mutilation.