If you want to know more about how the big countries arranged their legal systems regarding suicide, read our list of 10 biggest countries where suicide is illegal.
For people who are not lawyers or are not very familiar with legal terms and systems, it may be quite odd to say that suicide can be illegal. It immediately evokes the notion that after someone commits suicide; he or she must be prosecuted, which is quite nonsense. However, in order to explain how suicide can be illegal in the actual sense, some additional information must be provided. I am not a lawyer either, and I will try to give a simple explanation so that everyone may understand it. To start with; when a person successfully commits suicide without anyone’s help, usually that’s it and no one can do anything about that. In some countries, their property may be taken away by the government, and some of their family members may go through certain procedures. Also, the treatment of the corpse differs from country to country, but it is really hard to talk about the legal and illegal side after it’s done. On the other side, if a person tries to commit a suicide and fails in that intention, that may be considered illegal. Additionally, assisted dying and euthanasia as well are very complex issues in relation to suicide, and some of the countries still did not make it legal. To make the difference between the two of them, it is important to note that the assisted suicide is actually the suicide in which the person who wants to commit it is completely aware of the process and performs it alone, while the physician only assists it in providing the lethal means. Euthanasia is a little bit different, since during the process the “patient” is not aware of it, since the physician is completely in charge of it, giving the lethal substance intravenously.
SpeedKingz/Shutterstock.com
If you want to know more about the statistics regarding suicides within different countries, make sure to read our article about the WHO Suicide and Depression Statistics by 11 countries. I got a big help from the sites such as Mental Health Daily and BBC, but one Quora discussion was also very much useful. Regarding euthanasia, The Guardian provided a great article about the laws on it around the world, so I learned a lot. It is very interesting how some countries have completely different legislations regarding suicide, to the point where suicide is legal, but assisted suicide or euthanasia are not. On the other side, there are countries such as the Netherlands, where suicide and euthanasia are legal, but assisted suicide is not. Interestingly, Cyprus is the only European country, though a very small one, where suicide is still illegal. I made the classification by choosing the big countries of at least 20 million people living there.
So, get ready to find out more about the biggest countries where suicide is illegal.
10. Syria
Although it is really hard to talk about the legal and illegal in Syria these days, according to the criminal law, the attempt of suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal and punishable in this country.
9. North Korea
This country is quite strict towards the relatives of a person who commits suicide, with several penalties. It also has penalties for attempted suicide, and assisted suicide and euthanasia are also illegal.
8. Yemen
This country is also on the list of those countries where the legislations are organized in the manner of punishing the attempted suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.
7. Ghana
Ghana also has the law that claims that suicide is illegal, saying that “whoever attempts to commit suicide shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.” It also forbids assisted suicide and euthanasia.
6. Malaysia
The Penal Code of Malaysia has imprisonment punishments for all of the people who try to commit suicide and is also very punishable if one commits assisted suicide or euthanasia.
5. Saudi Arabia
The Criminal Law of Saudi Arabia is very harsh when it comes to suicide, making the attempt illegal, together with the assisted suicide and euthanasia, making it Saudi Arabia one of the biggest countries where suicide is illegal.
4. Uganda
We are continuing our list of biggest countries where suicide is illegal with Uganda that is one of the nine African countries that criminalize the attempt of suicide or the act of assisted dying and euthanasia.
3. Kenya
According to the Penal Code of Kenya, every person who attempts to kill oneself is guilty, and there are prison penalties for up to two years. Also, there are very strict penalties for assisted suicide and euthanasia.
2. Bangladesh
The Penal Code of Bangladesh treats suicide as an illegal act, as well as the assisted suicide and euthanasia, and a person who attempts to commit it may even go to jail.
1. Pakistan
The section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code treats attempted suicide as a criminal act that can be punishable by one year of imprisonment or a fine. Additionally, it also forbids assisted suicide and euthanasia. Pakistan is definitely the first among the biggest countries where suicide is illegal.
