A Spanish quadriplegic man has succeeded in committing suicide in an elaborate scheme involving 11 people, after his calls for the right to die were turned down, El Pais newspaper reported yesterday.
Ramon Sampedro (55), who became known in Spain for his book Letters from Hell - written entirely by moving his mouth - was found dead from cyanide poisoning on January 12th in the north-western town of Boiro. He had been bed-ridden since 1968 when he became paralysed in the arms and legs after he hit a rock while diving into the sea. Sampedro repeatedly demanded a right to euthanasia, but courts rejected each appeal, in line with Spanish law.
El Pais reported that Sampedro drafted a plan in which 11 people each played a small role in bringing him to his death, but theoretically, without risking imprisonment.
One person bought the cyanide, one analysed it, another calculated the dose and one took it to Sampedro's flat.
Another person received the poison, another mixed it with water, someone else poured out a glassful, while another slipped a straw in the glass and another brought it to Sampedro's lips.
The 10th person took down Sampedro's suicide note, absolving all 11 from any suspicion, while the 11th filmed the proceedings.
None of those involved has been named, but the 11th person could be liable for prosecution, said El Pais - because that person was the only one party to all the stages, whereas the others were not informed of the whole plan.
The aunt of a Spanish politician killed by Basque separatist guerrillas died in a car accident on the way home from her nephew's funeral in Seville. Ms Soledad Barrios Azcutia (42), an aunt of the Seville city councillor Alberto Jimenez-Becerril, was killed when the car she was in was hit by another when it stopped abruptly at a police roadblock on Saturday night. Jimenez and his wife were shot in the head early on Friday in an attack blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA.