Swiss police make arrests over suspected death in ‘suicide capsule’
Swiss authorities have announced that they have launched a criminal inquiry and taken several individuals into custody following the alleged death of a woman inside a device designed for assisted suicide.
As per local news sources, the device called the Sarco Pod, created by its inventor, was utilized for the first time on Monday afternoon in a woodland area near the German border, in the Swiss town of Merishausen.
The deceased was said to be a 64-year-old woman from the United States. Switzerland is among the limited number of places globally where assisted suicide is permitted, provided specific criteria are met.
Authorities in the Schaffhausen region of northern Switzerland announced that several arrests had been made. The public prosecutor's office stated that they have launched an investigation focused on potential incitement and assisting with suicide. A representative added that they are also looking into the possibility of other criminal activities taking place.
Switzerland's interior minister, Élisabeth Baume-Schneider, raised concerns about both the ethical and legal implications of the Sarco Pod. This device enables an individual inside to press a button that releases nitrogen gas into a sealed compartment, leading to unconsciousness and death by suffocation within minutes.
Florian Willet, a scientist from Germany, is believed to be the sole witness to the woman's passing. He is a prominent figure in the Last Resort, a group involved with the capsule, as well as the Swiss division of Exit International, a nonprofit that advocates for the legalization of assisted suicide.
It's uncertain if Willet was one of those taken into custody.
He shared with the Swiss newspaper Blick that her passing was “calm, swift, and with dignity.” He mentioned that the woman had faced numerous severe health issues for many years due to an autoimmune disorder.
Philip Nitschke, the Australian creator of the Sarco Pod, shared on X that the woman experienced a "serene, tranquil passing in a forest in Switzerland." He noted that the capsule provided her with "the end she desired."
Nitschke, a physician, is said to have witnessed the woman’s passing through a video connection from Germany, closely monitoring the data from her oxygen and heart rate monitors.
He mentioned that he believed she lost consciousness "within two minutes" and passed away after five minutes. "We noticed quick, small movements in her arm muscles, but she was likely already unconscious at that point. It appeared just as we anticipated," he shared with De Volkskrant.
Prior to entering the Sarco Pod, the woman provided a declaration to a lawyer named Fiona Stewart, who is one of the directors of Last Resort and also married to Nitschke. In her statement, she expressed that her desire to end her life was her own and that her two sons were supportive of her decision. She mentioned that since being diagnosed with a serious illness that resulted in intense pain, she had wanted to die for the past two years.
Stewart mentioned to De Volkskrant that a psychiatrist had assessed the woman prior and determined that she was mentally sound.
Swiss legislation permits assisted suicide, provided that the individual chooses to end their life without any direct help from others. Additionally, it stipulates that anyone who aids in this process must have no selfish reasons for doing so, according to information from a government website.
The Guardian has reached out to Last Resort for a response.
If you're in the UK or Ireland and need support, you can reach out to Samaritans at the freephone number 116 123, or you can send an email to [email protected] or [email protected]. In the United States, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, chat online at 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 for help from a crisis counselor. If you're in Australia, you can contact Lifeline for crisis support at 13 11 14. For additional international helplines, visit befrienders.org or Open Counseling.
