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Doctor acquitted of murder in assisted suicide case

A doctor who was accused of murder after helping a patient to die was on Tuesday found not guilty by a court in Muttenz in the canton of Basel-Land.

Published: 10 July 2019 09:30 CEST
Doctor acquitted of murder in assisted suicide case
File photo: Depositphotos
However the doctor was convicted of violating drugs laws and received a 15-month suspended sentence and a 20,000 franc fine, reported news agencies.
 
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, under strict conditions, one of which is that the patient must be considered to have the mental capacity to know what he or she is doing. 
 
In this case, the patient, in her 60s, was suffering not only from physical ailments but also from depression, which, claimed the prosecution, affected her judgement. 
 
The doctor, president of assisted suicide organisation Life Circle/Eternal Spirit, was acting out of “personal idealism”, said the prosecution.
 
The defence argued that the doctor had lawfully evaluated the patient and considered her capable of making the decision to die before she took the lethal drug. 
 
A psychological report submitted after the woman’s death stated that the patient suffered from serious depression which could have affected her willingness to die.
 
However, despite considering the report reliable, the court judges said the patient was nevertheless capable of knowing the consequences of her choice to die. She had correctly evaluated her quality of life and loss of autonomy, they said. Further medical treatment would only have eased her symptoms in the very best case scenario. 
 
Though acquitted of murder, the doctor was found guilty of violating the rules surrounding drugs used for assisted suicide, which are strictly regulated in Switzerland.
 
 
Assisted suicide was legalised in Switzerland in 1918, and the current law dating from 1942 makes assistance to suicide legal on the condition that the assisting party derive no substantial financial gain from it. 
 
According to the law, anyone can benefit from suicide assistance if they meet certain conditions, including having a persistent wish to die, not acting on impulse, being capable of sound judgement and not being influenced by a third party. 
 
However established organisations like Exit will only treat people with unbearable symptoms, unacceptable disabilities or hopeless prognoses. It is rare that they assist people with a psychological disorder.
 
The person wishing to die must be able to take the lethal drug on their own. 

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CRIME

Why are thefts increasing in Switzerland?

Newly published figures show that the number of thefts in Switzerland has substantially increased in 2023. What’s driving this surge?

Published: 27 March 2024 15:54 CET
Why are thefts increasing in Switzerland?

As reported earlier this week by The Local, new figures from the Federal Statistics Office show that Switzerland experienced an overall fourteen percent increase in crimes committed in 2023. 

Theft is one crime that demonstrated an exceptionally sharp rise—thefts of goods from cars, for example, have risen by seventy-one percent. 

However, before worrying about a crime wave, it’s essential to consider the role that two closely related factors may play in these figures. 

The pandemic effect

In the years since the easing of lockdown restrictions, research institutions worldwide have been examining its effects on almost every facet of society, with crime no exception.

A 2021 study by the University of Cambridge and the University of Utrecht found that urban crime levels dropped by a third during lockdowns, including in Switzerland. 

Like many other European nations, Switzerland’s pandemic response continued into mid-2022, when the last measures were ended. The country’s mountainous geography also made enforcing travel restrictions easier than in many other countries. 

What is reflected in the new numbers is the return of ‘crime tourists’, criminal gangs from other countries such as Romania and Albania, who may see relatively affluent Switzerland and the frequent cross-border traffic as fruitful pickings.

As criminologist Dirk Baier told news portal Swissinfo.ch: “Switzerland is attractive. That means we have criminal tourists who come here from abroad just for this purpose.

“There is something to be gained here, there is wealth here and there is a somewhat inattentive population that, for example, does not lock its cars or sometimes leaves its apartment doors open.”

Baier also suggested that the relative ease that with which thefts can be committed plays a role:

“Certain crimes were discovered (…) that are easy to carry out, such as ‘sneak-in thefts’, opening the car door somewhere and taking something out.

“You can see that individual perpetrators can really commit such crimes on a large scale.”

Cost of living woes

While some have noted that the rising cost of living was not felt as keenly in Switzerland as the pandemic ended, the situation changed somewhat in 2023. 

The ‘Pulse of Switzerland‘ study, published by Deloitte Consulting in early 2024, revealed that sixty percent of Swiss had cut back their spending and were eating out less, resulting in flow-on effects across several retail and hospitality sectors. 

While the spike in unemployment caused by the pandemic was primarily reversed, the persistence of global inflation resulted in Swiss unemployment rising in early 2024. 

It rose to two point four percent in February, with a projected rate of two point five percent in early 2025. 

Traditionally, there is a strong association between inflation, unemployment, and crime. As the demand for cheaper stolen goods increases—particularly for electronics, jewellery, and handbags—so does the incentive for theft.

Again, it’s not unexpected that crime rates—particularly theft rates —would increase as inflation continues to worry consumers.  

Still a safe place to be

The ‘perfect’ storm of a global pandemic shutting down society’s normal functioning for several months and the ensuing surge in inflation caused by the disruption have resulted in crime figures that may ring alarm bells. 

However, it’s important to note that by almost all metrics, Switzerland remains one of the safest places to live in the world. 

It maintains a place in Europe’s top ten safest countries, as identified by the Global Peace Index. 

According to the Better Life Index, it is also a place where 86 percent of the population feels safe walking at night.

With a bit of attention paid to securing your valuables and not leaving them unattended in vehicles, you have no need to worry.

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