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A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 20 June 2019

Voluntary euthanasia becomes legal in Australian state

By ROD McGUIRK kindness," the letter said.
Associated Press Any health practitioner can
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) conscientiously object to
— Voluntary euthanasia taking part in the euthana-
became legal in an Austra- sia process.
lian state on Wednesday The euthanasia system has
more than 20 years after been implemented over 18
the country repealed the months since the state par-
world's first mercy-killing law liament passed the laws in
for the terminally ill. 2017.
The process of dying in an Australia's sparsely populat-
assisted suicide after an ini- ed Northern Territory in 1995
tial approach to a doctor in became the first jurisdic-
Victoria state takes at least tion in the world to legalize
10 days, so the first patient doctor-assisted suicide for
could die from swallowing terminally ill patients. But
a lethal cocktail of chemi- the Australian Parliament
cals on June 29. Strict rules overturned that law in 1997
are designed to prevent after four people had been
terminally ill patients from helped to die.
traveling from overseas or The Australian Parliament
interstate to access the does not have the same
laws. power to repeal the laws
Health Minister Jenny Mi- In this Tuesday, June 18, 2019, photo, pro life demonstrators gather outside the Victorian State of states such as Victoria,
kakos said she expected Parliament, opposing the voluntary assisted dying laws, in Melbourne. which is home to one in
as few as one patient a Associated Press four Australians.
month would be helped to The parliament of Austra-
die in the first year. scheme every year," Mika- only as low as a dozen peo- troubling chapter of health lia's most populous state,
"We anticipate that once kos told Australian Broad- ple," she added. care in Victoria." New South Wales, rejected
the scheme has been in casting Corp. Four Victorian Roman Cath- "We cannot cooperate a doctor-assisted suicide
place for some time, we'll "In the first year, we do ex- olic bishops have signed with the facilitation of sui- bill by a single vote two
see between 100 and pect the number to be an open letter describing cide, even when it seems weeks before the Victorian
150 patients access this quite modest — maybe Wednesday as a "new and motivated by empathy or law was passed.q

Albanian government vows to punish election disruption

By LLAZAR SEMINI porters of opposition par- arrest "anyone violating
Associated Press ties and police clashed the law and will deposit
SARANDA, Albania (AP) Wednesday in about half a enough evidence for their
— Albanian police said dozen municipalities. Alba- punishment."
Wednesday they arrested nian media outlets report- Prime Minister Edi Rama
five opposition supporters ed that at least five civilians said the government draft-
for allegedly damaging and officers were injured. ed a law that would pro-
ballot boxes and docu- Police accused the peo- hibit citizens convicted of
ments to prevent upcom- ple arrested of physically hampering an election
ing municipal elections, attacking state police of- process to leave Albania
while the government pro- ficers while storming elec- for five to 10 years.
posed punishing people tion offices in the northern The Organization for Se-
convicted of election in- Albania city of Shkodra a curity and Cooperation
terference by prohibiting day earlier. in Europe condemned
them to leave the country. Albania's Socialist-led gov- the election-related con-
The opposition is boycotting Lulzim Basha, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, ernment insists the voting flicts, saying instigators and
the local elections planned standing in background, flashes the victory sign during an anti- will go ahead as sched- perpetrators of violence
for June 30 and has threat- government protest in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, June 8, 2019. uled. Interior Minister Sand- should be held legally
ened to disrupt them. Sup- Associated Press er Lleshaj said police would accountable.q