Sarco inventor Nitschke defends himself against killing rumors
Published: Wednesday, Nov 20th 2024, 09:40
Back to Live Feed
In an interview, Sarco inventor Philip Nitschke has defended himself against rumors that one of his colleagues assisted in the suicide of a woman in Schaffhausen who was about to die. That is absurd.
"When rumors emerged that the Schaffhausen public prosecutor's office was investigating suspected intentional homicide, I was horrified," Nitschke told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper on Wednesday. He was perplexed and deeply disturbed by what was happening here.
According to Nitschke, there is still no autopsy report available today, more than fifty days after the suicide capsule was first used in a forest near Merishausen SH. Since then, the co-president of the euthanasia organization "The Last Resort", Florian Willet, has been in custody in Schaffhausen and the Sarco has been confiscated.
Sarco number two is produced
However, Nitschke does not want to give up. Sarco number two is currently being produced. However, the capsule will not be brought to Switzerland. He first wants a clear decision from the judiciary.
But there are other places where he and his fellow campaigners could take Sarco number two. "For example, to Finland, where, according to our lawyers, there is no specific law prohibiting assisted suicide."
Suicide capsule from the 3D printer
According to Nitschke, one possibility is for people who wish to die to produce the Sarco themselves in a 3D printer, climb inside and press the button. "No country in the world can forbid you from committing suicide," he said.
At the end of September, the euthanasia organization "The Last Resort" used the suicide capsule for the first time in Switzerland, at a forest hut in Merishausen. The emergency services immediately deployed recovered the capsule and took the deceased, a 64-year-old American woman who had suffered from an immune deficiency for many years, to Zurich for an autopsy.
Several people were temporarily arrested. The public prosecutor's office initiated proceedings against them for incitement and aiding and abetting suicide. Co-President Florian Willet has since been remanded in custody. The other detainees have been released.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic