Retired doctor Pierre Beck, a former regional vice president of assisted suicide group Exit, helped a healthy 86-year-old woman who wanted to die alongside her ill husband. Beck provided the woman with a lethal dose of the sedative and preanesthetic pentobarbital.
“The mere fact of a physician prescribing pentobarbital to a person in good health, capable of discernment and wishing to die, does not constitute behavior punishable by the law on narcotics,” the court wrote in the judgement seen by Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
Prosecutors have 30 days to appeal the verdict to the Federal Court, but have not yet decided if they will take this action, according to RTS.
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Court overturns sentence of doctor in assisted suicide case
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The Swiss Federal Court has overturned the conviction of a former regional vice president of assisted suicide group Exit for having helped a healthy 86-year-old woman to die.
Assisted suicide numbers rose in Switzerland last year
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The Swiss assisted suicide organisation EXIT helped a total of 1,125 people end their lives in 2022, up 15% on the previous year, it says.
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Aina, a Japanese woman with a rare neurological disorder, came to Basel to die. The journey made her question her motivation.
Swiss doctor sentenced for helping healthy woman to die
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A court in Geneva has given a suspended sentence to a regional vice-president of EXIT, Pierre Beck, for helping an elderly but healthy woman to die.
Swiss doctor avoids prison in assisted suicide case
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A doctor from canton Basel-Country in north western Switzerland was acquitted of murder charges for helping a mentally-ill woman commit suicide.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.