By Simon CrerarShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Swiss human rights lawyer who turned assisted death into a global political and moral battleground has ended his own life at one of his clinics, assisted dying group Dignitas has announced.
Ludwig Minelli, founder and secretary-general of the Zurich-based group, died on November 29 "self-determinedly by voluntary assisted dying," days before his 93rd birthday.
Why It Matters
Minelli’s death closes the chapter on one of the most influential—and polarizing—figures in the modern right to die movement.
He helped embed the idea that choosing the manner and timing of one’s death can be a human right, winning landmark rulings in Swiss courts and at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
...Dignitas became the best-known destination for foreigners seeking assisted suicide, turning Switzerland into a lightning rod for the debate.
His passing comes as lawmakers from London to Canberra wrestle with whether to legalize assisted dying, and under what circumstances.
France, Spain, Australia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have all moved in recent years, while a closely watched bill is now before the U.K. House of Lords. Assisted suicide is not legal at the federal level in the U.S. but is legal in 12 jurisdictions: California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, D.C. and Washington. These states have passed "Death with Dignity" or similar laws that allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults to request and self-administer a prescription for a lethal dose of medication
For supporters, Minelli’s own assisted death is the ultimate expression of the autonomy he spent decades fighting for. For critics, it underlines longstanding fears about "suicide tourism" and the risks to vulnerable people.
What To Know
Born in Zurich in 1932, Ludwig Amadeus Minelli worked as a journalist—including as Der Spiegel’s first Swiss correspondent—before studying law and becoming a human-rights specialist.
In 1998 he created Dignitas after splitting from the older Swiss group Exit, which he saw as too restrictive. He wanted assisted suicide available not just to those who were terminally ill, but also to people with chronic conditions or severe suffering.
Under Swiss law, euthanasia—where a doctor actively administers a lethal drug—is banned, but assisted suicide has been allowed for decades so long as there is no selfish or profit motive and the person who has chosen to die is of sound mind and carries out the final act themselves.
Dignitas operates within that framework, organizing medical assessments, prescriptions and supervised deaths, and is unusual in accepting non-Swiss citizens. The group says it had helped more than 4,000 people end their lives as of 2024.
Minelli fought numerous cases before the Swiss Supreme Court and the ECHR, helping secure a 2011 ruling that recognized a competent person’s right to decide the manner and timing of their own death.
He faced accusations of profiteering and criticism for accepting people who were not terminally ill, and for what opponents said was a lack of financial transparency at Dignitas—allegations he rejected.
Dignitas said Minelli had long planned his own assisted death and had expanded the organization’s board to ensure a succession.
What People Are Saying
In a press release Dignitas called Minelli: "[a] pioneer and warrior who stood unwaveringly for his convictions when it came to the protection of fundamental rights and the freedom of citizens."
The group praised his "life for freedom of choice, self-determination, and human rights" and said he had spent his final years still searching for ways to help people exercise "freedom of choice and self-determination in their ‘final matters’—and he often found them."
What Happens Next
Dignitas says it will "continue to manage and develop the association in the spirit of its founder as a professional and combative international organisation for self-determination and freedom of choice in life and at the end of life."
His death will reverberate far beyond Switzerland.
In the U.K., peers in the House of Lords are mid-debate on an assisted dying bill that would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death under strict safeguards, after Members of Parliament backed the measure in June. The bill has drawn a record number of amendments from supporters and opponents worried about vulnerable people.
For nearly three decades, Minelli personified the argument that control over one’s own death is the "last human right." His own carefully planned exit ensures that debate will now continue without him—but with his legacy firmly at its center.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org
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