The founder of an association for the right to “die with dignity” died by assisted suicide

Ludwig Minelli, founder and director of Dignitas, one of the main Swiss organizations for the right to “die with dignity”, died by assisted suicide, the association announced in a statement published this Sunday. He fought for “the last human right in our societies”.

The founder of the Swiss right to die organization, Ludwig Minellidied this Saturday by assisted suicide, aged 92, a few days before his 93rd birthday, the association announced.

The organization paid tribute to Minelli, highlighting that he led “a life dedicated to freedom of choiceself-determination and human rights”.

Minelli founded Dignitas in 1998. Since then, the entity has helped thousands of people to die, including those who traveled to Switzerland to seek the organization’s help.

A, a procedure in which a doctor deliberately administers a lethal substance to end a person’s life and alleviate suffering, is still illegal in Switzerlandnote to .

However, Assisted suicide has been permitted under Swiss law since 1942under strict conditions, including the requirement that there is no profit motive and that the person who wishes to die has full use of their mental faculties.

In recent decades, some countries changed their position in relation to assisted death. Australia, Canada and New Zealand have introduced legislation to this effect, and the UK House of Lords is currently debating a bill on assisted dying.

In Portugal, the euthanasia is not implemented in a fully legal way due to a decision of the Constitutional Court, which some norms of law.

Critics of the legalization of euthanasia warn that it could lead to disabled and vulnerable people are pressured to end their lives.

Dignity in life, dignity in death

Minelli began his career as a journalisthaving worked as a correspondent for the German magazine Der Spiegel, before studying law and becoming interested in human rights.

Throughout life, passionately defended the right to diehaving given Dignitas the motto “dignity in life, dignity in death”.

In an interview with the BBC in 2010, he stated: “I am convinced that we have to fight to implement the last human right in our societies. And the last human right is the right to decide on one’s own end, and the possibility of having that end without risk and without pain.”

Minelli founded Dignitas after having separated from the oldest organization Swiss assisted dying company, Exit, considering that its rules were too restrictive.

The group became world-renowned for offering assisted suicide to non-Swiss citizens who travel to Switzerlandas assisted death is not allowed in their countries of origin.

In Switzerland, Minelli was sometimes criticized for alleged lack of transparency in the organization’s finances, and for having made assisted death available to people whowere not in a terminal phase, but wanted to end their lives.

He faced several legal proceedings and successfully appealed several times to the Swiss Supreme Court.

In a statement, Dignitas said Minelli’s work had a lasting impact, highlighting a 2011 decision of the European Court of Human Rights which confirmed the right of a person capable of discernment to decide on the manner and moment of the end of his life.

Dignitas declared, in a statement, that it will continue to “manage and develop the association in the spirit of its founderas an international, professional and combative organization, for self-determination and freedom of choice in life and at the end of life”.