Geneva: "Suicide capsule" is very much in discussion in Switzerland. It is being said that this mechanical capsule has been installed in a forest of Switzerland, where the person who wants to commit suicide goes and hides. He sits in that capsule, closes it and then presses the button. He dies within minutes. A company has made this capsule for those who want to commit painless suicide. But due to many suicides happening through this, the police has come into action. Now the Swiss police has detained many people regarding the suspicious death of a person in the new 'suicide capsule'.
Police have registered a criminal case in this regard. The 'suicide capsule' (Sarco) has never been used before. It is designed in such a way that the person sitting inside it presses a button which spreads nitrogen gas in the sealed chamber. After this the person will fall asleep and will die of suffocation within a few minutes. Police said in a statement that a law firm informed prosecutors in the Schaffhausen canton area that a suicide was committed using the 'Sarco' capsule in a cabin built in the forest on Monday. Police said that several people have been detained and prosecutors have started an investigation on suspicion of inciting and assisting suicide.
The cost of Susile capsule is 1 million US dollars
The Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported on Tuesday that police had detained one of its photographers who wanted to take pictures of the use of the Sarco. It said the photographer was being held at a police station but did not provide further details. The newspaper declined to comment further when contacted by the AP. Exit International, a Netherlands-based assisted suicide service, said it designed the 3D-printed device and spent more than $1 million to develop it. Dr. Philipp Nitschke, a trained doctor with Exit International, told the AP that his organization had received advice from Swiss lawyers that the use of the Sarco would be legal in the country.
The operator of "Suicide Capsule" may be jailed
In July, the newspaper Blick reported that Peter Sticher, a state prosecutor, wrote to lawyers for Exit International saying any operator of the suicide capsule could face criminal proceedings if it was used there. He said any conviction could bring up to five years in prison. Other Swiss prosecutors have also indicated there could be prosecutions over the use of suicide capsules. Over the summer, a 54-year-old American woman with multiple health problems planned to become the first person to use the device but the plan did not go ahead.
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