When suicide is weaponized against the vulnerable through coercion
I'm fed up. Disgusted with the stories about MAID being improperly suggested to vulnerable people who didn’t ask for it, such as cases in Canada where individuals with disabilities or low-income situations felt pressured into considering assisted death as a response to systemic failures in social support.
https://caunicef.org/2023/01/12/how-canadas-maid-laws-leaves-vulnerable-individuals-open-to-abuse/
The use of suicide as a coercive tool extends far beyond MAID. In China, the so-called "Operation Fox Hunt" has reportedly pressured dissidents and their families into returning to China, sometimes leading to tragic outcomes as victims see no escape from the intense psychological manipulation. In at least one case, a Fox Hunt victim was reportedly directly encouraged to consider suicide, revealing the shocking lengths of psychological pressure exerted on these individuals.
https://dissentwatch.com/boost/?boost_post_id=85751&back=1
The Order of Nine Angles (O9A), an extremist group, has been implicated in encouraging people toward suicide through its subgroup 764. Reports suggest that 764 targets vulnerable individuals using manipulation, harassment, and coercive tactics to drive people toward self-destruction. https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2024/rcmp-reminds-canadians-violent-online-groups-targeting-youth
https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230912
"Because of 764’s ties to extremist ideologies like neofascist accelerationism and the Order of Nine Angles, the US Department of Justice and the FBI categorizes 764 as a “tier one/category 1” terrorism threat that “directly threaten[s] the national or economic security of the United States.” According to a federal law enforcement official not authorized to speak on the record, the DOJ has seen 764-related cases in every field office in the US and currently assigns about 10 such cases for investigation every week." (Wired, November 7, 2024)
Kenneth Law, a Canadian accused of selling over 1,200 suicide kits worldwide, is reportedly linked to over 130 deaths across various countries. Law allegedly posed as a doctor in suicide forums to target vulnerable individuals, exploiting his false credentials to build trust and encourage desperate people to purchase his kits. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Law
The honor suicides of women in other cultures highlight the crushing societal pressures placed on women to uphold family "honor," even at the cost of their own lives. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00220183221115294
Meanwhile, online platforms like Kiwi Farms are notorious for harassment campaigns specifically designed to push vulnerable individuals to suicide, reportedly boasting a "kill count" of confirmed cases among their victims as a marker of success. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_Farms
Domestic violence or sex trafficking-related suicides present another tragic aspect of coercive control, where victims are driven to take their own lives due to relentless psychological, emotional, and physical abuse. In many of these cases, suicide is not a personal choice but rather a form of "murder by proxy." Abusers create conditions so oppressive and isolating that victims feel suicide is their only escape, effectively using psychological manipulation to force the victim's hand. Such coerced suicides show how abusers can weaponize control to destroy their victims without laying a hand on them directly, hiding behind the guise of a "self-inflicted" tragedy. https://suicide-force.eu/accueil/17, https://nonstatetorture.org/research/participate/questionnaire-7
A recent controversy involves Yusuke Narita, a Yale University assistant professor of economics, who suggested that elderly Japanese residents should consider "mass suicide" to address the country's aging population. His comments, comparing the act to "seppuku" (ritual disembowelment), sparked outrage. Many saw this as a dangerous normalization of suicide as a solution for societal issues, particularly concerning Japan's youth, who are frustrated by an economy they believe is stifled by the elderly. Narita later attempted to clarify, calling it a metaphor, but his words underscore the growing tendency to exploit vulnerable populations by suggesting suicide as an option for "solving" social issues.
The Jonestown Massacre, where over 900 people died after being manipulated by cult leader Jim Jones to drink poison, is a chilling example of collective suicide that was anything but voluntary. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown
In Heaven’s Gate, 39 members were convinced by leader Marshall Applewhite that death would lead them to an alien salvation, showing how deeply psychological manipulation can override free will. https://academic.oup.com/book/5461/chapter/148350397
Similarly, the Solar Temple cult, which led to the deaths of 74 members across Switzerland, Canada, and France in the 1990s, employed a web of deception, manipulation, and apocalyptic beliefs to convince followers that suicide would lead them to a higher spiritual plane. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murdercide-in-the-order-of-the-solar-temple/id1479254741?i=1000638737579&l=pt-BR
Recently, in Kenya, a cult leader ordered hundreds of his followers to fast to death in what’s now known as the Shakahola Massacre, a horrific demonstration of how coercive control can lead people to fatal decisions under the guise of spiritual salvation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_News_International_Ministries
In September 2024, Iraqi authorities intensified their crackdown on the Al-Qurban sect, a Shiite group implicated in ritualistic suicides. Members of this sect reportedly conducted macabre lotteries to select individuals who would then take their own lives as offerings to Imam Ali, whom they venerate as a divine figure. This practice led to several suicides, including that of a 15-year-old boy found hanged in a Husseiniyah, a Shia congregation hall. The sect's activities have raised significant concerns, especially given Iraq's young population facing unemployment and social instability, making them vulnerable to such extremist influences.
In an affidavit by former Scientologist Andre Tabayoyon, alarming allegations suggest that Scientology’s practices routinely pushed members toward mental breakdowns and suicide. Tabayoyon describes being instructed by senior officials to use "thought reform" tactics to drive Tom Ashworth to "a psychotic break" with the explicit goal of suicide. He also recounts Bob Shaffner, who repeatedly expressed his intent to kill himself due to intense psychological distress within the RPF program. Shaffner eventually took his own life, despite being placed on a "risk of suicide list." Tabayoyon asserts that such cases were not isolated, noting that Scientology’s methods caused lasting psychological harm to numerous members, suggesting a broader pattern of coercion and mental exploitation within the organization.
Also see the page Scientology suicides https://whyweprotest.fandom.com/wiki/Scientology_Suicides?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3WZK3rVIFEeKJtmvCGrNk5v9qIncwYyNwcqdQrha6h_Et0uSmb-FAPaRs_aem_uDgwKwHZVa5JK3iO_y034w&sfnsn=mo
In the RCMP, Caroline O'Farrell was allegedly the object of a “suicide pool” orchestrated by colleagues, showcasing how institutional bullying can drive someone to the brink. https://nelliganlaw.ca/blog/media-release-rcmp-ofarrell-settlement/
In April 2022, the Human Rights Association (İHD) reported disturbing findings from Istanbul's Silivri No. 5 Type-L Prison, where prisoners faced alleged torture and were reportedly coerced into suicide. During a visit, İHD confirmed that guards had subjected ten prisoners to severe mistreatment and pressured them to end their lives, prompting authorities to transfer the affected prisoners to other facilities. The İHD’s attempts to discuss the abuse with prison administrators were unsuccessful, highlighting systemic issues within Turkey’s penal institutions.
Lastly, Philip Budekin, the creator of the Blue Whale Challenge, manipulated teens into a horrifying online “game” that encouraged self-harm and suicide. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321014625_'Blue_Whale_Challenge'_A_Game_or_Crime
These cases illustrate a profound truth: these suicides are not genuine decisions. They are acts of psychological murder, where victims are manipulated into taking their own lives against their will. Coerced suicide is worse than a personal decision—it’s the ultimate betrayal of trust and autonomy, often facilitated by abusers, cult leaders, and institutions that exploit vulnerability.
Each of these examples shows how suicide is being weaponized globally against the vulnerable, turning what should be a tragic last resort into a tool of manipulation and violence.
For me, suicide will in no circumstances whatsoever be an option. It's a political choice and a human rights issue.
