The Local Switzerland

Switzerland backs assisted suicide in prisons

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 10:11:50 +0100

Sick prisoners will be allowed to request assisted suicide in Switzerland although the modalities still have to be worked out, prison system officials said on Thursday.

Doctor acquitted of murder in assisted suicide case

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 11:30:04 +0200

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.

Moon not to blame for madness: Swiss study

Thu, 02 May 2019 21:52:13 +0200

The moon is closely linked with madness in the popular imagination and the word 'lunatic' even includes a reference to our closest celestial body.

Concerns over high suicide rate among Swiss farmers

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 10:59:20 +0100

Farmers are 37 percent more likely than other men in rural communities to commit suicide, a new study has found.

Swiss court convicts driver for killing suicidal woman who lay on motorway

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 11:15:30 +0200

A driver who fatally ran over a woman who had lain down on a motorway with the intention of committing suicide has been convicted of negligent homicide.

Swiss group Exit considers extending right-to-die to elderly in good health

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 12:25:45 +0200

Exit, the Switzerland-based organization that helps those with incurable illnesses to end their lives, has commissioned a working group to look into the possibility of extending its remit to help elderly people who are still in good health but want to die.

Father sentenced for attempted murder-suicide at Swiss ‘Grand Canyon’

Fri, 20 Jan 2017 13:18:12 +0100

A father has received an 18 months suspended sentence for attempting to kill his son along with himself by jumping off a cliff.

Woman run over on Swiss motorway in apparent suicide

Fri, 12 Aug 2016 12:12:15 +0200

Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was run over by several vehicles on a motorway in the early hours of Thursday in an apparent act of suicide.

Former head of Zurich Insurance dies aged 59

Mon, 30 May 2016 13:14:30 +0200

The ex-CEO of Zurich Insurance Group, Martin Senn, has killed himself, the company has announced.

Second murder-suicide hits Vaud in week

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 22:50:26 +0100

In the second incident of its type in the canton of Vaud in less than a week, a 40-year-old man at the weekend is believed to have stabbed his female partner to death with a kitchen knife before killing himself with the same weapon, police said on Sunday.

French bodies found in Swiss nature reserve

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 14:02:04 +0200

Swiss police said they found the body of a French man and his two young children at the base of a cliff on Friday, in what appeared to be a possible murder-suicide. Another body was found nearby.

Lucerne school prof sets himself on fire and dies

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 22:23:45 +0200

A 56-year-old man who used to teach at a vocational training school in the canton of Lucerne is suspected of committing suicide by setting fire to himself in the school early on Monday, police said.

Senior dupes European court in suicide snafu

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 18:09:00 +0200

The European rights court on Tuesday withdrew its criticism of Switzerland's assisted suicide laws after it emerged an octogenarian who filed the initial complaint had duped both the court and her lawyer in the case.

Basel debates second Swiss right-to-die clinic

Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:26:08 +0200

Exit, the Swiss organization that helps people to end their own lives, has asked local authorities for permission to change its Basel office into a facility for assisted suicide. If agreed, the building would become the second such facility in Switzerland, after Dignitas.

'Suicide tourists' double in three years

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 11:28:00 +0200

A total of 172 "suicide tourists" travelled to Switzerland in 2012 – double the 2009 number – to die with medical assistance, a practice prohibited in many countries, a study said on Thursday.

Murder suspect commits suicide in Valais jail

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 11:10:00 +0200

A 64-year-old German woman suspected of murdering her 78-year-old partner in July committed suicide while in custody in Martigny prison in the canton of Valais, officials said on Monday.

It's my birthday and I'll die if I want to

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:13:55 +0200

A Swiss study has found that people are almost 14 percent more likely to die on their birthdays than any other day of the year.

Swiss canton to vote on assisted suicide

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:43:47 +0200

The people of the canton of Vaud will vote in June on whether to require nursing homes and hospitals to accept assisted suicide on their premises.

Switzerland 'one of Europe's suicide capitals'

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:56:46 +0200

Between 15,000 and 25,000 people attempt to kill themselves in Switzerland every year, according to a new survey, confirming Switzerland's place as one of the suicide capitals of Europe.

Why Swiss gun love is coming under fire

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:26:00 +0100

Almost two centuries have passed since Switzerland last fought in a war, yet the country's gun ownership rate remains the highest in Europe. After a series of gun-related killings at the end of last year, The Local's Meritxell Mir looks at what's being done to get fingers off triggers.