Ex-Dutch PM, wife die together by 'assisted suicide' at 93
Former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt and his wife Eugenie van Agt-Krekelberg (both 93) died together by euthanasia on Monday, The Rights Forum has revealed. Van Agt died "hand in hand with his wife at a moment they chose," said the forum, a Palestinian rights organization founded by van Agt. Both had been in poor health for some time. Van Agt experienced a brain hemorrhage in 2019 while giving a speech at an event and never fully recovered.
Van Agt's political career and shift in ideology
Van Agt entered politics in the late 1960s when Piet Steenkamp, a senator from the Catholic People's Party (KVP), requested him to help write the party's new electoral program. He led a combined list of the KVP, Christian Historical Union, and Anti-Revolutionary Party in the 1977 parliamentary election. In 1980, these three political parties formed the CDA, a socially conservative party. The CDA, along with the right-wing Liberal Party, governed the Netherlands from 1977-1981, with van Agt as prime minister.
He went on to embrace left-wing causes in later years
Van Agt remained a CDA member until 2021 when he canceled his membership owing to the Christian Democrats' position on Palestine. He was a longtime supporter of human rights for the Palestinians and accused the party of disregarding the "immense suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people." Notably, the former conservative's tilt to the left occurred following a visit to Israel in 1999, when he became more open about his sympathy for the Palestinians. He described the trip as a "conversion."
Founded The Rights Forum in 2009
Van Agt eventually founded The Rights Forum, which advocates for a "just and sustainable Dutch and European policy regarding the Palestine/Israel issue," in 2009. In 2016, he described then and current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and said in an interview that he should be prosecuted. Last week, Rawan Sulaiman, the Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, expressed gratitude for his unwavering support and commitment to their cause.
Ambassador Sulaiman's statement on the passing away of Van Agt
Van Agt and wife survived by 3 children
On a more personal level, van Agt was known for his old-fashioned references, Italian culture, grandiose vocabulary, and passion for cycling. He was forced to quit his love for cycling after a fall in 2019. He and Eugenie are survived by three children and seven grandchildren, including professional cyclist Eva van Agt. The couple married in 1958.
Euthanasia law in the Netherlands
The Netherlands legalized euthanasia after a controversial act came into force in April 2002. However, euthanasia and assisted suicide are allowed only if the requirements outlined in the Dutch Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act are strictly followed. Requests for euthanasia are often made by patients who are suffering unbearably and have no hope of recovery. Patients do not have an absolute right to euthanasia, and doctors have no absolute obligation to perform it.
