Psychologist assisted more than 100 people with committing suicide

The Brabant psychologist Wim van Dijk gave more than 100 people a drug to help them commit suicide, the psychologist himself said in an interview with the Volkskrant on Saturday. The medication the psychologist gave to patients was called Drug X.

According to the newspaper, it was the first time anyone in the Netherlands admitted to providing people with a drug to commit suicide.

Drug X is a white preservative in powdered form available in the Netherlands in chemical wholesale stores.

The Ministry of Justice has prohibited the Cooperative Last Will (CLW) from providing the drug to its members. The CLW is an advocate for euthanasia. Despite the ban, the drug is now illegally distributed.

Van Dijk reported to the Eindhoven office on Tuesday at the request of the police. He was arrested for the violation of the Medicines Act and for assisted suicide.

Although he invoked his right to remain silent during the investigation, he later told his story to the Volkskrant, hoping that the debate around the euthanasia law is ignited again.

"I am aware of the consequences of my story. I don't care," Van Dijk told the Volkskrant. "I want social unrest around this topic to become so great that the judiciary cannot ignore it. I don't care if they arrest me or put me in jail. I want something to happen."

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced earlier this week that a 78-year-old man from Den Bosch was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the case. The suspect has since been released. His exact role is still being investigated, according to the OM.