Several arrests

Switzerland: First person to die in suicide capsule

The death capsule was set up in a forest in Merishausen.(Bild: APA/AFP)

A 64-year-old woman has become the first person in Switzerland to voluntarily end her life in the "Sarco" suicide capsule. Although assisted suicide is generally permitted in Switzerland, several people were arrested. The device is said not to be legally compliant.

Sarco has been highly controversial for many years: The developers want to use it to revolutionize euthanasia. With the device, which comes out of a 3D printer, users are no longer dependent on doctors or prescription drugs. The capsule can be activated from the inside by a person wishing to die by pressing a button - nitrogen is then fed into the cabin.

After a few breaths, the person inside is unconscious and death occurs after around five minutes due to a lack of oxygen.

Woman from the USA traveled all the way to Switzerland
The first person to use the death capsule in Merishausen (canton of Schaffhausen) is said to be an American woman. The 64-year-old is said to have suffered from an immune deficiency and its health consequences for many years. She had traveled to Switzerland especially for the suicide. The machine had worked as intended.

Philip Nitschke, an Australian euthanasia activist, invented the "Sarco" death capsule.(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

On Monday - the same day the machine was used for the first time - the Swiss Minister of the Interior, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, declared that the suicide capsule was not legally compliant. The device would not meet the requirements of product safety law. The use of nitrogen is not compatible with the purpose article of the Chemicals Act, she explained.

President of NGO, lawyers and journalist arrested
The Swiss public prosecutor's office had learned on Monday afternoon via a law firm that an assisted suicide had taken place in the suicide capsule at a forest hut in Merishausen near the German border. Several arrests followed: The co-president of the assisted suicide organization "The Last Resort", Florian Willet, two lawyers and a Dutch journalist were still behind bars on Wednesday. Criminal proceedings "for incitement and aiding and abetting suicide" were initiated.

The euthanasia organization "The Last Resort" wants to make a "more beautiful death" possible with the death capsule, as it explained itself. A solution for couples is also being planned so that you can end your life together with your loved one.

If you or someone close to you is in an exceptional psychological situation or is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the telephone helpline on 142. You can find other crisis hotlines and emergency numbers HERE.