Court orders release of euthanasia letter signatories

A court in The Hague ruled on Thursday that the public prosecution service (OM) must hand over the names the 14 prominent doctors who signed a letter urging an investigation into the case of Milou, a 17-year-old died by euthanasia in 2023.

Her parents, who were subjected to death threats after the letter was leaked, sued to obtain the names of the medical professionals who penned the later.

The OM had refused to provide the names, six of which are already known, citing privacy concerns.

Judges in The Hague said that it was “unreasonable to refuse to provide the letter containing names to the parents” who have a “compelling interest” in the information.

The parents could choose to pursue disciplinary or civil legal action against the doctors.

Milou had suffered from mental health problems from the age of 11 following sexual abuse. She was again sexually abused in an institution by another patient.

After years of treatment and various suicide attempts, she chose euthanasia at the age of 17 on the grounds of unbearable mental suffering.

The psychiatrist who approved her decision acted in accordance with the guidelines, the regional euthanasia review committee RTE found.

The committee reviews all euthanasia procedures to make sure the correct procedures have been followed and reports back to the OM, which now has five days to hand over the names.