First Use of 'Suicide Capsule' in Switzerland Prompts Several Arrests, Launch of Criminal Case Share This article Police in northern Switzerland have detained several people and opened a criminal case in connection with the suspected death of a woman who died by the unauthorized use of a "suicide capsule." Exit International, an assisted suicide group based in the Netherlands, says it is behind the "Sarco" capsule. The 3D-printed device is presumably designed to allow a person sitting in a reclining seat inside to push a button that injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber.
The person is then supposed to fall asleep and die of suffocation. According to Swiss Catholic News , the $1 million machine does not meet the country's product safety requirements. Public prosecutors' offices in several Swiss territories said they would initiate criminal proceedings if the capsule were used.
"It does not fulfill the demands of the product safety law, and as such, must not be brought into circulation," said Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider. "On the other hand, the corresponding use of nitrogen is not compatible with the article on purpose in the chemicals law." "It must not be placed on the market," she added.
An "assisted suicide" involving the Sarco took place Monday near a forest in Merishausen, Swiss police said in a statement. Prosecutors have opened an investigation on suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide. A conviction could trigger a sentence of up to five y.