Ludwig Minelli, the Swiss human rights lawyer who founded the world-renowned assisted-dying clinic Dignitas, died by voluntary assisted suicide on November 29, 2025, just days before his 93rd birthday. His passing, announced by Dignitas and widely reported by organizations such as the Australian Associated Press, Sky News, ITV News, and GB News, marks the end of a remarkable era in the international right-to-die movement.
Minelli’s life was defined by his unwavering commitment to freedom of choice, self-determination, and the protection of fundamental human rights. Born in Switzerland, Minelli began his professional journey as a journalist, including a stint as Der Spiegel’s first correspondent in Switzerland, before turning to law. His fascination with the European Convention on Human Rights led him to found the Swiss Society for the European Convention on Human Rights, and it was this passion for individual liberty that would ultimately drive him to establish Dignitas in 1998.
“He stood unwaveringly for his convictions when it came to the protection of fundamental rights and the freedom of citizens,” Dignitas wrote in a four-page tribute, as reported by GB News. The organization, whose slogan is “To live with dignity – To die with dignity,” has since its inception offered assisted dying to thousands of terminally and chronically ill people, both from Switzerland and abroad.
Minelli’s philosophy was rooted in the belief that those facing unbearable suffering should be treated with seriousness and empathy, not dismissed or talked out of their despair. According to ITV News, Dignitas stated, “Trying to talk someone out of suicide is not a suitable prevention method. Rather, the approach should be taking a person in a seemingly hopeless situation seriously, meeting them at eye level, and showing them all possible options to alleviate their suffering – including the possibility of ending their own life with professional support, safely and in a self-determined way in a setting that he or she personally deems dignified.”
Minelli’s conviction was that it is “up to the individual to decide which option to choose.” Only a small fraction of people who approach Dignitas ultimately elect to pursue assisted dying, and even fewer go through with it, the organization emphasized in statements to ITV News and Sky News. Nevertheless, Dignitas has become a lightning rod in international debates over the ethics and legality of assisted dying, especially in countries like the United Kingdom where the practice remains prohibited.
Switzerland’s unique legal landscape has been central to Dignitas’s operations and reputation. Since 1942, Swiss law has permitted assisted suicide provided the assistant does not act out of “selfish” motives, as outlined in Article 115 of the Swiss Penal Code. However, active euthanasia—where a third party directly administers life-ending measures—remains illegal. The distinction is important: assisted suicide typically involves a qualified medical professional prescribing a lethal dose of drugs, which the patient must self-administer.
Minelli’s advocacy for assisted dying was not without controversy or legal challenge. According to GB News, he spent decades campaigning for the right to die and appeared in court multiple times as a result. His work culminated in a significant victory in 2011, when the European Court of Human Rights recognized a person’s right to decide the manner and timing of their own death—a ruling that resonated far beyond Switzerland’s borders.
Since its founding, Dignitas has provided assisted dying to more than 4,000 people as of 2024, according to figures reported by the Australian Associated Press and GB News. While the majority of its clients are Swiss, Dignitas is also known for accepting non-Swiss nationals, particularly from countries where assisted suicide remains illegal. British citizens, for example, constitute the second largest group of Dignitas members, and in 2024 alone, 37 people from Great Britain traveled to Switzerland to end their lives at the clinic, as reported by Sky News.
The legal risks for those accompanying loved ones abroad for assisted suicide remain real. Sky News highlighted the case of a British widow who accompanied her husband to Dignitas and was investigated by police. While prosecutors concluded there was sufficient evidence for assisted suicide, they ultimately decided it was not in the public interest to pursue charges—a decision that underscores the complex ethical and legal terrain surrounding the issue.
Minelli was also a forward-thinking leader. Several years before his death, he expanded the Dignitas board and carefully planned for the organization’s succession. The Dignitas team has since assured the public that it will “continue its professional and combative work” in the spirit of its founder, ensuring a “seamless transition,” as reported by Sky News and GB News.
The influence of Dignitas—and by extension, Minelli—has reverberated internationally. Assisted dying has since been legalized in several countries beyond Switzerland, including Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and ten US states as well as the District of Columbia, according to GB News. The Isle of Man became the latest territory to legalize the practice earlier in 2025.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is in the midst of a heated legislative debate over the issue. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, championed by MP Kim Leadbeater, was cleared by the House of Commons earlier in 2025 despite fierce opposition from figures such as former Prime Minister Theresa May, who labeled it a “licence to kill” bill. The bill is currently under detailed scrutiny in the House of Lords, with almost 1,000 amendments proposed, and it faces a long road before it could become law. Even if it passes, the first assisted death in the UK is not expected for several years, as reported by GB News and ITV News.
At the heart of the ongoing debate—across Switzerland, the UK, and beyond—lies the very question that Minelli devoted his life to answering: what does it mean to die with dignity? For Minelli, it meant giving people the freedom to make deeply personal decisions about their own suffering and mortality, always with professional support and respect for individual choice.
As Dignitas continues its mission, Minelli’s legacy endures in the lives of those he helped, the laws he influenced, and the ongoing global conversation about autonomy, compassion, and the right to choose one’s own fate at the end of life.
