Conviction of Berlin Doctor for Assisting Suicide Upheld - Berlin doctor jailed for aiding suicide of depressed veterinary student
A retired Berlin doctor has lost his final appeal against a manslaughter conviction for assisting the suicide of a severely depressed 37-year-old veterinary student. The Federal Court of Justice in Leipzig upheld the three-year prison sentence, bringing the legal battle to a close.
The case dates back to 2021, when the doctor provided a lethal infusion to the student at her request. The woman had previously attempted suicide once before but survived. Despite knowing about her long-standing depression, the doctor proceeded with the fatal procedure.
The court ruled that the student’s wish to die was not stable or fully reasoned. Her severe depressive state likely impaired her judgement, making her decision unreliable. The doctor’s actions were deemed criminal rather than an act of assisted dying under German law. In late 2025 or early 2026, the Federal Court of Justice rejected the doctor’s final appeal. The three-year prison term was confirmed as definitive, ending any further legal challenges.
The ruling reinforces the legal boundaries around assisted suicide in cases involving mental illness. The doctor’s conviction stands, with no further avenues for appeal. The case sets a precedent on how courts assess capacity in end-of-life decisions influenced by depression.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
