Switzerland: Several Arrested Over Suspected Deaths Involving Suicide Capsule’

Switzerland Several Arrested Over Suspected Deaths Involving Suicide Capsule' (Image source: AP)

In Northern Switzerland, police has detained several individuals and opened a criminal case related to the suspected death of a person using a new “suicide capsule.”

Details About Suicide Capsule

This suicide capsule, called Sarco, is designed to allow a person inside to push a button that injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber, As a result, it leads them to fall asleep and die from suffocation within minutes.

Connection Between Sarco Capsule & Suicide

As per Schaffhausen canton authorities, they were first notified by a law firm about an assisted suicide involving the Sarco capsule near a forest cabin in Merishausen on monday.

Issuing a statement, police confirmed that “several people” had been taken into custody and that prosecutors are still investigating potential incitement and complicity in the suicide.

However, a Netherlands-based assisted suicide organization Exit International, has recently claimed responsibility for developing the 3D-printed device, which is worth over $1 million.

Dr. Philip Nitschke, an Australian doctor associated with Exit International, stated that his organization had received legal advice indicating that the use of the Sarco capsule would be legal in Switzerland.

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But, in July, Peter Sticher, a state prosecutor in Schaffhausen, warned Exit International’s lawyers that any operator of the capsule could face criminal charges if it were used, with potential penalties of up to five years in prison. Further, the Prosecutors in other Swiss regions have also suggested that using the capsule could lead to prosecution.

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What Swiss Law Says On Suicide

Meanwhile, the Swiss law permits assisted suicide as long as the individual takes their own life without “external assistance,” and those aiding in the process do so without “any self-serving motive,” reveals government website.

Dikshaa Puri