Finnish streamer’s death highlights legal duty to help

A Finnish livestreamer died after injuring himself during a live broadcast, highlighting the legal duty to seek help when someone is in mortal danger, Yle reports.

The man, from Kotka, died on October 20. Police said emergency services received several calls about the incident, but they will not provide further information about the case.

Jyrki Hänninen, a senior police officer with the Southeastern Finland Police Department, said the Criminal Code includes an offence of failing to render assistance. Whether a person has committed an offence depends on what help could reasonably have been expected in the circumstances, he said.

Under the law, anyone who knows another person is in mortal danger or at serious risk to their health and fails to provide or obtain reasonably available help can face a fine or up to six months in prison. The duty to help is also covered by the Rescue Act and the Road Traffic Act.

Hänninen said people who witness a serious emergency should call Finland’s emergency number, 112. They should call even if the person’s exact location is unclear, he said, as it is then for the authorities to assess the situation.

Asked whether encouraging someone to harm themselves could be a crime, Hänninen said he could not immediately identify a specific offence but advised reporting such cases to police for assessment.

Self-destructive livestreaming is a social media phenomenon in which people appear intoxicated or humiliate or harm themselves during live broadcasts. Viewers may donate money, including for alcohol, and researchers say large audiences can encourage streamers to take greater risks.