Forced suicide
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Forced suicide is a method of execution where the victim is given the choice of committing suicide or facing an alternative they perceive as worse, such as suffering torture; having friends or family members imprisoned, tortured or killed; or losing honor, position or means.
Forced suicide was a common means of execution in ancient Greece. As a mark of respect it was generally reserved for aristocrats sentenced to death; the victims would either drink hemlock or fall on their swords. Probably the most famous forced suicide is that of the philosopher Socrates, who drank hemlock after being found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens. Seneca also killed himself in response to a request by the Roman Emperor Nero.
Economic motivations promoted some suicides in ancient Rome. A person who was condemned to death would forfeit property to the government. People could evade that provision and let the property pass to their heirs by committing suicide prior to arrest.
Forced suicides have occurred in ancient China, where generals who were responsible for major debacles that seriously brought a downfall in the course of a state's history would be held liable and were given orders to commit suicide. This is depicted in the USSR during World War 2 in the movie Enemy at the Gates; a Russian general who was responsible for a great loss was handed a small gun and told to do "the honorable thing."
Another famous example is the forced suicide of Erwin Rommel, a field marshal in the Second World War German army. After Rommel lost faith in Germany's ability to win the war, and was suspected of having ties with the conspirators who tried to kill Hitler on 20 July 1944, he was forced to commit suicide. Due to Rommel's popularity with the German people, Adolf Hitler gave him an option to commit suicide with cyanide or face dishonour and retaliation against his family and staff. Rommel ended his own life on October 14, 1944, and was buried with full military honours [1].
Other forced suicides include that of Nero the Roman Emperor and it was quite common in the Roman Imperial Court. In some cases Japanese seppuku could fall into this category, since failing to commit seppuku could in some situations lead to great dishonor for a samurai and his family; it was especially the case in the Edo period, and Asano Naganori is a clear-cut example.
According to a BBC report [2] the United Nations is, as of 2006, investigating reports that forced suicide is being used in honor killings of women in Turkey.
