Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
02 August 2024 | 15:53 CAT

DignitySA founder Sean Davison. (Photo: Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Jaco Marais)

South African euthanasia activist Dr Sean Davison has been arrested for the third time on charges of assisted suicide, this time in the UK.

UK authorities arrested him on the 15th of July after he accompanied a 79-year-old English woman to the Pegasos clinic in Switzerland, where she was, at her request, assisted in suicide on the 29th of June.

In an interview with Radio Islam International, Professor Willem Landman, who, with Davison, co-founded DignitySA in 2010, explained the charges, “Davison is charged with a particular crime of assisting with suicide. It is not murder but is a crime described with assisting with suicide.”

Highlighting the legal status in the UK of assisting in suicide, Prof Willem said, is a crime. However, the elements of the crime need to be established, which is the motive and a causal connection between the assistance and the death of the patient.

“All the elements of the crime need to be proven,” Prof Willem added.

Davison was previously arrested in 2010 in New Zealand for the assisted suicide of his mother and in South Africa in 2019 for the assisted suicide of a friend who was terminally ill.

Davison is prohibited under his bail conditions from speaking with the media, DignitySA or any of the other 80 organizations worldwide that advocate euthanasia, which shows the widespread support for the cause.

However, Landman has sought legal advice and accordingly allowed the organisation to release this news and information.

Assisted suicide is a complex issue with varying legal perspectives. It is already legal in Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Australia, Colombia, Ecuador and Cuba, as well as in ten states in the US. However, it remains illegal in Africa and Asia. The global debate on this issue is ongoing, with Italy now considering its legalization.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Professor Willem Landman here.