Inciting Minors to Commit Suicide Using the Internet

Abstract

Relevance. In 2015-2017, a wave of exposure of the so–called "death groups" swept through the country – various communities in social networks and other Internet resources, where information related to the suicides of minors was distributed, including calls for the need for such behavior and recommendations on ways to commit suicide. This circumstance prompted the legislator to establish criminal liability for "complicity" in the suicide of a person.The Purpose of this study is to determine the content of inciting minors to commit suicide for the purposes of applying the criminal law.Objectives: to determine the range of crimes consisting in inducing another person to commit suicide; to establish their objective and subjective signs; to analyze qualifying signs; to study the practice of applying the relevant norms.Methodology. In the process of working on the study, traditional private scientific and general scientific methods were used for criminal law research.Results. The author reveals the legal characteristics of these crimes, analyzes judicial practice regarding the qualification of actions aimed at the suicide of other persons, taking into account the modern positions of criminologists. It is indicated that it is necessary to establish a causal relationship between the actions listed in the law and the suicide or suicide attempt of the victim in each criminal case of bringing to suicide. In cases where the investigation or the court fails to establish a direct causal link between, for example, the ill-treatment of the accused and the suicide of the victim, or such a connection is more than not obvious, it is necessary to investigate the possibility of other reasons that prompted the minor to commit suicide. If such reasons are related to the activities of persons who use other methods aimed at the suicide of victims, other than threats, ill-treatment or systematic humiliation of human dignity, then this may constitute a crime under Article 1101 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.Conclusion. The results of the study can have a positive impact on domestic law, including for the purposes of law enforcement in specific criminal cases.