Swiss right-to-die group says founder dies by assisted suicide / Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON - AFP/File
-
Billboards, cologne and flowers: Turkish capital gets NATO makeover
-
Feels like 'victory': Cape Verde celebrates heroic World Cup defeat
-
Trump says American identity under 'renewed attack' as US turns 250
-
Haaland's stetson, Cape Verde's pride: World Cup last-32 moments
-
World Cup serves up Wimbledon dilemma: football or tennis?
-
Colombia overcome Ghana to reach World Cup last-16
-
Huge crowds gather as Khamenei funeral ceremonies begin in Iran
-
Cape Verde show anything is possible at World Cup with 'big hearts'
-
Trump set for Mount Rushmore address as US turns 250
-
Huge crowds gather as Khamenei funeral ceremonies open in Iran
-
New species of ghost shark may have been found in Costa Rica
-
Mass protests expected as German far-right AfD meets
-
Argentina advance after Cape Verde World Cup scare, Egypt through
-
Argentina survive Cape Verde scare to reach World Cup last 16
-
Huge crowds expected as Khamenei funeral ceremonies open in Iran
-
England v Mexico World Cup game kickoff time unchanged: FIFA
-
Swift and Kelce marry as global stars swarm 'royal wedding'
-
McDonald's, bus station convert into Venezuela quake clinics
-
Hurdles record-breaker Tharp says 'sky's the limit'
-
'Super typhoon' Bavi heads for US Pacific islands
-
Salah says 'had to do it' after coolest of penalties in World Cup win
-
England seek end to Australia agony in Women's World Cup final
-
Australia's Popovic on defensive as gamble fails in World Cup exit
-
President-elect Fujimori hails 'new chapter' for Peru
-
Maiden ton for Udara as Sri Lanka pile on the runs in 2nd Test
-
Global celebrities pay court at Swift, Kelce "royal wedding"
-
Norway pin hopes on Haaland against Brazil in World Cup last 16
-
Dangerous heat wave roasts America's big birthday party
-
Egypt down Australia to reach World Cup last 16, Cape Verde face Messi
-
Egypt edge Australia on penalties to reach World Cup last 16
-
Families demand help with recovering Venezuela's quake victims
-
France braced for extreme heat threat in World Cup clash with Paraguay
-
England's Rashford unfazed by high-altitude Mexico World Cup test
-
Iranians begin to gather for Khamenei funeral ceremonies
-
In Brazil, Bolsonaro family airs feud ahead of elections
-
England v Mexico World Cup kickoff could be moved earlier: source
-
Postecoglou links up with Ronaldo at Al Nassr
-
Frustrated families demand recovery of Venezuela's earthquake dead
-
Sabalenka sets up Wimbledon last-16 clash with Osaka
-
Williams sisters return, Swiatek faces Eala test at Wimbledon
-
Dangerous heatwave hits peak temps along US east coast
-
'Ecstatic' Hamilton rolls back the years with Silverstone pole
-
LeBron's agent makes case for 10 new clubs for 41-year-old star
-
England enter World Cup lion's den as Mexico host them at Azteca fortress
-
Trump heads for Mount Rushmore as US turns 250
-
Hamilton beats Antonelli to British GP sprint pole with supreme lap
-
French Top 14 champions Toulouse fined for salary cap breaches
-
Title rivals Djokovic and Sinner advance at Wimbledon
-
Record-equalling Djokovic powers into Wimbledon last 16
-
Ferrari confirm Hamilton staying next year
Swiss right-to-die group says founder dies by assisted suicide
The head of Swiss right-to-die organisation Dignitas has died through assisted suicide, the group said in a statement on Sunday.
Ludwig Minelli, who founded the group in 1998, died on Saturday just days before his 93rd birthday, Dignitas said.
Dignitas said it would "continue to manage and develop the association in the spirit of its founder as a professional and combative international organisation for self-determination and freedom of choice in life and at the end of life".
Minelli, a lawyer by trade, faced plenty of legal challenges and made several successful appeals to the Swiss supreme court and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Dignitas said his work had a lasting influence on Swiss law, pointing to a 2011 ECHR ruling that recognised the right of a person to decide the manner and time of their own end of life.
Swiss law does not allow for euthanasia, where a doctor or other person administers a lethal injection for example.
But assisted dying -- when a person who articulates a wish to die commits the lethal act themselves -- has been legal for decades.
Unlike some similar organisations in Switzerland, Dignitas, which says it has more than 10,000 members, also offers its services to people living outside the country.
L.Hussein--SF-PST
