Legal Qualification of Suicide. Polish Substantive Criminal Law Against Suicide Terrorists

The paper examines the question of suicide in the light of Polish criminal law. The starting point of discussion is an analysis of actions leading to one depriving oneself of one’s own life which, at the same time, do not pose any harm to third parties. Here, the paper strives to answer the question whether suicide is legal or illegal in view of criminal law, as well as whether state interference with such actions is possible and justified. These questions serve as the background for the core part of the paper, in which justifications for the criminalization of suicidal acts simultaneously being attacks on third parties, i.e. so-called suicide attacks, are sought. The paper sheds light on the latest anti-terrorist laws and formulates conclusions pertaining to its directions of development, particularly in the field of combating suicide terrorist attacks.