Head of the Swiss right-to-die group Dignitas, Ludwig Minelli, has died through an assisted death, the organisation has confirmed. Minelli, who founded Dignitas in 1998, died on Saturday, just days before his 93rd birthday. The group said he spent his final years looking for new ways to help people make their own choices about the end of life.“Right up to the end of his life, he continued to search for further ways to help people to exercise their right to freedom of choice and self-determination in their ‘final matters’ – and he often found them.” Dignitas said it would continue his work and run the association in the spirit he set, as an organisation focused on self-determination and freedom of choice.Assisted dying laws have changed widely since Dignitas began. France recently approved assisted dying for some people with terminal illnesses. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Austria have also legalised assisted dying since 2015. In the US, it is allowed in 10 states.In the UK, the assisted dying bill is still being debated. MPs backed it in June, but it is now under scrutiny in the House of Lords. Minelli, a journalist who later became a lawyer, faced several legal battles over the years. He won cases in the Swiss supreme court and at the European Court of Human Rights.Dignitas said Minelli had a lasting impact on Swiss law, noting a 2011 European court ruling that supported a person’s right to choose how and when to end their life. Switzerland does not allow euthanasia, where another person gives a lethal drug. But assisted dying, where a person takes the final action themselves after expressing the wish to die, has been legal for decades. Dignitas, which has over 10,000 members, also accepts people from outside Switzerland. By 2024, it had assisted more than 4,000 deaths, including 571 people from the UK. About 1,900 Britons are members, among them is TV presenter and campaigner Esther Rantzen. In a 2023 interview with the Financial Times, Minelli said he was still working long hours at the age of 90 and believed assisted dying should be available to almost everyone.
