Swiss police have made several arrests after a man reportedly took his own life using a so-called suicide pod, the first case of its kind.
Police in the Schaffhausen region said they arrested “several people” on suspicion of inciting and aiding suicide after the death of a person who was reportedly using a pod made by Sarco on Monday.
While assisted dying is legally protected in some cases in Switzerland, the Sarco pod has met with some opposition.
Police found the device and the body at the scene.
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I the company behind the controversial pod it says it can only be used by a suicidal person, without medical supervision.
Police said it was used on Monday in a forest hut in Merishausen, a sprawling Swiss enclave on the German border.
The police said they were tipped off by a law firm about a suicide involving this call. The number of people arrested and their details have not been disclosed. The deceased has also not been named.
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In July, the bereavement group, which is promoting the Sarco machine, said it expected it to be used for the first time this year.
Advocates say it offers an option that doesn’t rely on drugs or doctors, and that it expands access to euthanasia as the portable device can be 3D printed and assembled at home.
However, there has been opposition in Switzerland, even though the country has some of the most protective laws in the world surrounding assisted dying.
Critics fear that the modern design of the device promotes suicide and the fact that it can be used without medical supervision is concerning.
Assisted dying is illegal in the UK and many other European countries, but thousands have traveled to Switzerland over the years to end their lives.
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