Cannabis cultivator confounds the authorities
A man who has been on a hunger strike since his imprisonment for growing and trading in cannabis continues to confuse the authorities about how they should react
Bernard Rappaz is now in Bern’s Insel hospital and doctors have been told by Esther Waeber-Kalbermatten, a member of the Valais government who is responsible for the dossier, to force-feed him to keep him alive.
She made the decision after consultation with the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne, which is to consider an appeal by Rappaz against his sentence.
His lawyer, Aba Neeman, said on Monday he would contest the decision at the Valais cantonal court. Neeman claimed Waeber-Kalbermatten had acted beyond directives of the Federal Court – the highest in Switzerland – and the European Human Rights Court.
Neeman said he did not know if his client had been force-fed and the hospital in Bern gave no details, citing medical confidentiality.
A friend of Rappaz, Boris Ryser, later told the Swiss News Agency that he had been in telephone contact with Rappaz, who told him that he had not been forcibly fed yet. Rappaz had also signed documents with instructions that he wanted to continue his hunger strike.
Rappaz, who has been jailed on several occasions for growing cannabis, told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that he considered force-feeding a violation of human rights. “That would only prolong the agony. You simply die later,” he said.
After more than 50 days into the hunger strike, Rappaz told the newspaper he felt like a flame that was slowly burning out. He said he was not afraid of dying and repeated that his hunger strike was aimed at legalising cannabis.
Rappaz was transferred on July 12 to the Bern hospital, where doctors will reportedly force-feed him if he falls into a coma. Geneva’s University hospital had earlier refused such treatment.
“Unjust and colossal”
The cannabis grower has said the five years and eight months prison sentence he was handed was an “unjust and colossal punishment”, adding that “up to now I’ve never stopped a hunger strike until I was free”.
Waeber-Kalbermatten said statements made by Rappaz were paradoxical. “He has signed documents saying that he should be allowed to die but he also writes everywhere that he wants to live. His wishes are not at all clear.”
In an interview with a Sunday newspaper, Waeber-Kalbermatten outlined just how complex the case was. Standard procedures had been carried out by her department but she said that perhaps in the future “in such an extraordinary case, the whole [Valais] government should be involved”.
She also said she would contact Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf about a revision of the penal code.
“In the consultation procedure on the revision of the penal code, it is anticipated that electronic monitoring of prisoners with a bracelet will be increased. I want to know when it will be possible to do this.”
“Let him die”
A member of Switzerland’s National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics told swissinfo.ch that canton Valais and doctors should allow Rappaz to die.
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He is eating wheat on the “sabbath”, arrest him.. arrest him.. He said God gave him every seed bearing plant for consumtion and that He is a Son of his…”kill him” ..”kill him”..what has changed with these fictitous entities in two Grand, murderers are murderers regardless of which angel you worship