December 2, 2024

Florian is Free at Last!

Today, on the 70th day of his pre-trial detention, the President of The Last Resort Swiss association, Dr Florian Willet, has been released from custody by the Schaffhausen public prosecutor’s office.

Speaking on behalf of Exit International, Dr Philip Nitschke has said that he ‘welcomes the release and is pleased the rule of law in the small Canton of Schaffhausen has finally prevailed’.

Dr Nitschke stated that he found it difficult to understand ‘the very harsh way in which Florian has been treated on and since the first use of the Sarco’.

In regard to the murder allegation, according to the public prosecutor (translated into English via Deepl): ‘

‘On the basis of the latest state of the investigation, there is still strong suspicion of the offence of incitement to and aiding and abetting of suicide, but no longer of the offence of intentional homicide …’

‘The allegation of intentional homicide was, and remains, absurd’ says Philip Nitschke, speaking from the Netherlands.

‘The Sarco worked exactly as planned’ he said.

‘The death of the American woman was straight forward. She entered the Sarco of her own volition, closed the lid and pressed the button voluntarily’.

She lost consciousness quickly and died within 7 minutes of nitrogen hypoxia.

Florian Willet was not involved in her death, other than being present.

Exit International and The Last Resort maintain that the first use of the Sarco did not break Swiss law.

Both organisations will continue to work towards ensuring that a good death – an assisted death – is a fundamental human right in Switzerland and around the world, and that such a death can be available for free.

Note – Drs Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart have twice offered to travel to Switzerland to be interviewed by the public prosecutor in Schaffhausen.

As recently as last week, this offer was again rejected for reasons unknown.

Dr Florian Willet, President of The Last Resort