Spanish prison authorities on Tuesday euthanised a man who had shot and wounded four people in December and was subsequently wounded in a shootout with the police, rendering him paralyzed and begging to be allowed to die while awaiting trial.
Courts have allowed the man's assisted death after rejecting several appeals by his victims who argued that he had to face justice. The case even reached the Constitutional Court, which refused to deliberate on it, saying there has been no violation of fundamental rights.
Spain legalized euthanasia just over a year ago, preceding which helping someone to end their life had carried a jail term of up to 10 years. According to El Pais newspaper, in the year since the law came into on June 25, at least 172 people had used the right to assisted death.
