Euthanasia Those responsible for Sarco are still in custody in Schaffhausen
The people who were arrested on Monday because of the Sarco operation in Merishausen SH are still not at large. They are still in custody, the Schaffhausen public prosecutor responsible announced on Wednesday morning in response to an inquiry.
25.09.2024, 08:47
25.09.2024, 09:17
SDA
It remains to be seen whether public prosecutor Peter Sticher will apply for pre-trial detention. He must decide by Wednesday evening, as the application must be submitted within 48 hours of the arrest.
Those currently behind bars include the co-president of the euthanasia organization "The Last Resort", Florian Willet, two lawyers and a Dutch journalist who accompanied the first deployment of the Sarco suicide capsule. The public prosecutor's office is initiating criminal proceedings against those arrested for incitement and aiding and abetting suicide.
On Monday, Sticher was informed by a lawyer that the suicide capsule had been used in the forest near Merishausen. The emergency services immediately deployed recovered the capsule and took the deceased to Zurich for an autopsy.
Sarco "worked as planned"
According to the euthanasia organization "The Last Resort", a 64-year-old American woman took her own life in the capsule. She had been suffering from the consequences of an immune deficiency for many years. Sarco worked as planned and brought the woman a drug-free death.
"The Last Resort" announced this summer that the death capsule would be used in Switzerland this year. The public prosecutor's offices of several cantons then announced that they would initiate proceedings if the capsule was used in their cantons - including Schaffhausen.
At exactly the same time as Sarco was first used in the Merishausen forest, Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (SP) said during question time in parliament that the suicide capsule was not legally compliant.
On the one hand, Sarco did not meet the requirements of product safety legislation. And secondly, the use of nitrogen is not compatible with the purpose article of the Chemicals Act.
End of life at the push of a button
Sarco is intended to allow people to end their lives at the touch of a button. The machine can be brought to any location to die. At the push of a button, nitrogen flows into the capsule, displacing the oxygen. After a few breaths, the person becomes unconscious.
According to "The Last Resort", death occurs after around five minutes. According to the organization, the aim is to enable a "more beautiful death".
At a presentation in Zurich in the summer, those responsible announced their intention to offer a "couple's solution" in future so that couples can die together.
