Re: Spain allows suspected gunman to be euthanized before trial, angering victims

[Chicken Tacos]

In article <t0d4tc$2clu3$3...@news.freedyn.de>
<governo...@gmail.com> wrote:

Spain's assisted suicide law is in the spotlight after doctors
allowed the death of a former security guard who faced trial for
having allegedly stormed his former workplace a year ago,
shooting and wounding three people and later a police officer.

Eugen Sabau, known in Spain as "the Tarragona gunman," applied
for euthanasia in June, six months after he was left with
quadriplegia when police subdued him in a shootout following the
attack on Dec. 14 in the northeastern city.

Victims had argued that Sabau should not be helped to die before
his trial, but two Spanish courts ruled that the accused's right
to seek assisted suicide prevailed. The man died Tuesday in a
prison in northeastern Spain. Sabau was 46 at the time of his
death, according to AFP.

In March 2021, Spain became the fourth country in Europe to
allow physician-assisted suicide for patients with incurable
diseases and for people with unbearable permanent conditions.

A Tarragona court ruled that Sabau suffered unbearable pain with
no possibility of relief and agreed with the medical commission
that delaying his death until after the trial violated the
accused's dignity and rights.

"I am paraplegic," Sabau previously told the judge, according to
AFP. "I have 45 stitches in my hand. I can't move my left arm. I
have screws (in my body) and I can no longer feel my chest."

José Antonio Bitos, a lawyer for the injured police officer,
said Wednesday that Spain's assisted suicide law had been rushed
in and should be reformed to prevent similar cases in the
future. He said the case set a precedent and could potentially
be used by defendants who find themselves in similar
circumstances and face lengthy sentences if convicted.

Ramón Riu, an expert in constitutional law, told Spanish
National Television that the case "is a precedent and courts
will certainly take it into account in the future but they will
not be obliged to follow the same criteria."

Bitos took the case to the European Human Rights Court but was
unsuccessful in getting a stay. He said he hopes the court will
study the case and urge Spain to make changes.

Sabau, a Romanian with Spanish residency, had problems with the
private security firm he worked for and had warned several
colleagues that he would take revenge. Bitos said he never
apologized for what he had done.

The lawyer said it was now unclear how the four victims, who
sustained serious injuries, may claim compensation, given that
there will be no trial.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eugen-sabau-spain-suspected-gunman-
euthanized/