The Swiss suicide clinic Dignitas will face renewed scrutiny after dozens of cremation urns were found by divers at the bottom of Lake Zurich. “After 50, we stopped counting,” said Roman Ruetz, one of the divers.

The logo printed on the urns matching that of the Nordheim crematorium used by the clinic, but Dignitas founder Ludwig Minelli has refused to comment. Soraya Wernli, former Dignitas employee and longtime critic, told the London Times 18 months ago that the clinic had dumped at least 300 urns into the lake.

Dignitas has helped around a thousand people to commit suicide, most of them involving the terminally ill. The clinic’s activities are highly secretive, especially in disposing the remains of clients.

The question of the disposal of remains is important, as the central tenet of Dignitas activities is death with dignity. “If water burials are being conducted on a commercial basis and any promised ceremonies are not being performed, then that is unacceptable,” said Nicolas Mori, speaking for the Zurich church council. “It is like throwing out rubbish.”

Authorities have been prompted by the discovery to investigate whether disposal of the ashes breaches laws on environmental protection or violates the dignity of the dead and the contract between cremator and the families involved. ~ London Times, Apr 28