The Swiss suicide group Dignitas is homeless again. The organisation will be forced to leave its current location in a Zurich suburb when its lease runs out later this month. And its plans to move to the small town of Wetzikon, near Zurich, have been dashed after residents there refused. The site was next to a kindergarten.

Now its critics fear that Dignitas may return to staging suicides in car parks and other public spaces while it hunts for a new base. "If authorities boycott us, we cannot simply stop helping suffering people. And we have staff who need to be paid every month," said Dignitas boss Ludwig Minelli.

More than 800 Britons who want to end their own lives are currently registered with the controversial organisation. The British government is coming under increasing pressure change the law to allow people to escort relatives and friends to Zurich to commit suicide. About 100 people have done so – and paid a hefty fee to Dignitas – but technically it is illegal and their escorts could be charged with assisting a suicide. ~ Austrian Times, June 9