A radical Dutch right-to-die group has challenged a ban on non-physicians helping people to die, claiming that it is a violation of European human rights law.

“We believe it should be possible to provide the means to be able to humanely end your own life,” Jos van Wijk of Cooperative Last Will (Coöperatie Laatste Wil) told a court.

Although the Dutch right-to-die law is notoriously liberal, even permissive, to foreigners, it does have guardrails. One is that only doctors may be involved in euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Cooperative Last Will contends that this violates the right to self-determination and respect for private life enshrined in the European convention on human rights.

Cooperative Last Will has been promoting “Substance X”, a suicide powder for several years. One of its members is currently being prosecuted for selling “Substance X” to at least 33 people, thereby breaking the law on assisted suicide.

A ruling on the current case should be handed down on December 14.