The act of intentionally helping another person end their own life, such as by providing the means, information or direct assistance the person then uses to take their own life. Its legal treatment varies widely: it remains a criminal offense in most countries, including under statutes such as the United Kingdom's Suicide Act 1961, while a small but growing number of jurisdictions, including several European countries and a number of United States states, have created narrow legal exceptions for physician assisted dying under strict medical and procedural safeguards. Where no such exception applies, the offense is distinguished from murder in that the final act causing death is carried out by the person who dies, not by the person who assisted.
Facts
Classification CodeIn China, assisted suicide is prosecuted as a form of homicide under Articles 232 and 233 of the Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China, the same provisions covering intentional killing. 1 Typical PenaltyNorway treats assisting a suicide as murder, carrying a possible prison sentence of up to 21 years; China punishes it with three to seven years in prison as a form of homicide. 1 Elements of OffenseUnder Swiss law, the offense requires that a person incite or assist another persons suicide out of selfish motives, and that the suicide actually be carried out or attempted; assistance given without a selfish motive is not itself criminalized. 1 Notable ExampleIn May 2011, Chinese farmer Zhong Yichun was sentenced to two years in prison by the Peoples Court of Longnan County, Jiangxi Province, for assisting Zeng Qianxiang to die by suicide. 1 Jurisdiction VariationLegal treatment of assisted suicide varies sharply by country. German law does not criminalize assisting a legal act such as suicide through the ordinary complicity and incitement provisions, while other jurisdictions, including China and Norway, prosecute assistance as a form of homicide. 1 Classification
Offense GradeSerious or Indictable Offense 1 Sources
1. Assisted Suicide (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead paragraph, first sentence
Assisted suicide is the process by which a person, with the assistance of a medical professional, takes actions to end their life.
China section
In China, assisted suicide is illegal under Articles 232 and 233 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China.
Switzerland section
a person who, for selfish reasons, incites someone to commit suicide or who assists that person in doing so will, if the suicide was carried out or attempted, be sentenced to a term of imprisonment
Germany section
Since suicide itself is legal, assistance or encouragement is not punishable by the usual legal mechanisms dealing with complicity and incitement
Norway section
It is considered murder and is punishable by up to 21 years imprisonment.
China section, 2011 Zhong Yichun sentencing
In May 2011, Zhong Yichun, a farmer, was sentenced to two years imprisonment by the People's Court of Longnan County, in China's Jiangxi Province for assisting Zeng Qianxiang to die by suicide.
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