Suicide pod activist who 'brought capsule to Switzerland' dies by assisted suicide

A suicide pod activist credited as playing a key role in bringing the controversial death capsules to Switzerland has died by assisted suicide.

Florian Willet, president of euthanasia organisation The Last Resort, was the only person present when a 64-year-old American woman used the Dutch-designed pod last year on September 23.

The pod, known as a Sarco, was designed by Philip Nitschke, who followed the process at the time via video call. Following the incident, Willet was arrested and released after 10 weeks in detention.

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Willet’s death in Germany was announced by , who said he died last month on May 5.

Australian-born Nitschke claimed Willet had been affected by the allegations of manslaughter made against him and had recently been recovering from injuries sustained in a fall from his Zurich apartment.

He said: “Florian’s spirit was broken. He knew that he did nothing illegal or wrong, but his belief in the rule of law in Switzerland was in tatters.”

Nitschke added: “To describe Florian is to talk of a man who was thoughtful, caring, funny and friendly. He was an easy person to be around. But most of all, Florian was kind. Florian was also passionate about a person’s right to choose when to die.”

He had help in his suicide from a “specialized organization” in Cologne, Nitschke told the Volkskrant.

Despite the incident and the controversy it caused, Nitschke, who rejected the allegations that the woman in the pod had been strangled, has continued to develop his Sarco pod. He has gone so far as to tell he is developing one which can fit two people.

Alongside developing a new version of the pod, Nitschke told the publication he wants to introduce a new safety system inside the pod. This system would use AI to screen people to check their mental capacity before they activate the device.

He explained: “When I get my artificial intelligence process working to check mental capacity. The software will say, ‘Yes, this person has got mental capacity that allows the power to switch on in the Sarco.’”

However, following the death of the American woman, Nitschke has reportedly been advised to stay in the Netherlands by his legal team.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.