Criminal Code, unauthorised access, illegal interception, and system interference
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
In force since 1 September 2000.
A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not intentionally access a computer system, or any part of it, without the right to do so or by violating its security measures, with intent to seize the data stored there or for personal purposes.
- Do not intentionally intercept, by technical means, computer data not intended for general use that is transmitted to, from, or within a computer system, without the right to do so.
- Do not intentionally damage, delete, corrupt, modify, or block computer data, or seriously obstruct a computer system's operation, in a way that causes significant damage.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Private right of actionNo
Criminal exposure note
The base offence under each of Arts. 271.1, 272.1, and 273.1/273.2 draws a fine of 2,000 to 4,000 manat, with restriction of liberty or imprisonment of up to two years as alternatives. The aggravated form (repeated commission, an organised group, or an official abusing their position) raises this to a fine of 4,000 to 6,000 manat or imprisonment of up to four years. A violation reaching the computer system of a publicly important infrastructure facility drops the fine option and carries imprisonment of four to six years alone.
Penalty structure
The base tier of Arts. 271.1, 272.1, and 273.1 fines 2,000 to 4,000 manat (with imprisonment or restriction of liberty up to two years as an alternative to the fine); the aggravated tier (repeat commission, organised group, or official abuse of position) raises this to 4,000 to 6,000 manat or imprisonment up to four years; the critical-infrastructure tier carries imprisonment of four to six years alone, with no fine.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 6 September 2026
- Minimum
- 2,000
- Currency
- AZN
- Fixed cap
- 6,000
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Art. 271 punishes intentional access to a computer system, or any part of it, without the right to access it or in violation of its security measures, with the aim of seizing the data stored there or for personal purposes. Art. 272 punishes intentional interception, by technical means, of computer data not intended for general use that is transmitted to, from, or within a computer system, by a person with no right to do so.
Art. 273 punishes intentional damage to, deletion, corruption, modification, or blocking of computer data by an unauthorised person that causes significant damage, and separately punishes seriously obstructing a computer system's operation through the same acts.
Because the Art. 271 offence's trigger is accessing without the right to do so or in violation of a security measure, a person reading a public, unauthenticated page without defeating any access control falls outside a plain reading of the provision.
Each article carries an aggravated tier for repeated commission, commission by an organised group, or commission by an official abusing their position, and a further tier, carrying imprisonment alone with no fine option, where the act reaches the computer system of a publicly important infrastructure facility.
When LexLint raises it
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Read the law
International Labour Organization NATLEX, official English translation of the Criminal Code