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The accused doctor Christoph Turowski (left) with his lawyer at the start of the trial in February
Photo: Jörg Carstensen/dpa
The Berlin doctor Christoph Turowski was sentenced to three years in prison in the trial of a controversial case of assisted suicide. The Berlin regional court found the 74-year-old guilty of manslaughter. From the judge's point of view, the 37-year-old woman whom he helped commit suicide was unable to form her own free will because of her depression. The doctor had “exceeded the limits of what was permissible,” said judge Mark Sautter. The judgment is not final. The doctor had already announced at the start of the trial that he would appeal if he was convicted.
The veterinary medicine student contacted Turowski at the beginning of June 2021. Almost two weeks later, the doctor gave her the deadly tablets, which she vomited. On July 12, 2021, the doctor gave the 37-year-old an infusion with a deadly drug in a hotel room. According to the verdict, the woman started this herself - and died a short time later.
The public prosecutor's office had demanded a prison sentence of three years and nine months, and the defense had demanded acquittal. Turowski said in court that he had never doubted the woman's "freedom of judgment and decision-making." He saw in her "great emotional distress and determination" to commit violent suicide if necessary. In his plea, his defense lawyer criticized the fact that there is no legal regulation.
The former family doctor belonged to the “German Society for Humane Dying” and was acquitted in an earlier euthanasia trial. The case involved a woman who suffered from chronic intestinal disease. The patient's wishes must be respected, according to the ruling in March 2018, which the Federal Court of Justice later confirmed.
kfr/dpa