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| Death probe for coma case father | Death probe for coma case father |
| (39 minutes later) | |
| The father of a woman who was at the centre of a right to die battle which split Italy is under investigation for murder, prosecutors have said. | The father of a woman who was at the centre of a right to die battle which split Italy is under investigation for murder, prosecutors have said. |
| Eluana Englaro died on 9 February after doctors removed her feeding tubes. She had been in a coma since 1992. | Eluana Englaro died on 9 February after doctors removed her feeding tubes. She had been in a coma since 1992. |
| A court had ruled her treatment could be stopped in accordance with what her father said were her wishes. | A court had ruled her treatment could be stopped in accordance with what her father said were her wishes. |
| Charges will not necessarily arise from the investigation, which was triggered by pro-life groups. | Charges will not necessarily arise from the investigation, which was triggered by pro-life groups. |
| Eluana's father, Beppino Englaro, 67, is one of 14 people named in the inquiry by prosecutors in north-eastern Italy's Udine region. | Eluana's father, Beppino Englaro, 67, is one of 14 people named in the inquiry by prosecutors in north-eastern Italy's Udine region. |
| The others include her Eluana's anaesthetist and other members of her medical team. | The others include her Eluana's anaesthetist and other members of her medical team. |
| The investigation was brought about by a suit launched by a pro-life group calling itself the Truth and Life Committee. | The investigation was brought about by a suit launched by a pro-life group calling itself the Truth and Life Committee. |
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| Prosecutors must act on such suits even if there is no evidence of wrongdoing, lawyers say. | |
| In an interview with the BBC, Mr Englaro said he had been informed that he had been placed under investigation, but did not know much more about the allegations. | |
| "I have always acted within the law, so from this point of view I feel completely fine," he said. | |
| He said that he and Eluana's medical team had "dealt with this difficult issue in the light of day and in the right way". | |
| "It was a unique case, so we were all very cautious," he added. | |
| "I realised from the beginning that people struggled to understand the meaning of freedom. Eluana is a symbol of this freedom." | |
| Opinion divided | Opinion divided |
| Eluana, 38, had been in a coma for 17 years, following a car accident in 1992. | Eluana, 38, had been in a coma for 17 years, following a car accident in 1992. |
| Beppino Englaro is one of 14 people named by prosecutors in the inquiry | |
| In a landmark ruling, a court said last year that it was satisfied her condition was irreversible and that she had clearly expressed her wish not to be kept alive artificially. | In a landmark ruling, a court said last year that it was satisfied her condition was irreversible and that she had clearly expressed her wish not to be kept alive artificially. |
| She died of a heart attack, just a few days after her feeding was stopped. A preliminary autopsy showed no signs of foul play. Results of a toxicology report will be released on 1 April, Ansa news agency said. | She died of a heart attack, just a few days after her feeding was stopped. A preliminary autopsy showed no signs of foul play. Results of a toxicology report will be released on 1 April, Ansa news agency said. |
| The case has deeply divided opinion in strongly-Catholic Italy. | |
| The court ruling was opposed by the government and the Vatican, which said it amounted to euthanasia. | The court ruling was opposed by the government and the Vatican, which said it amounted to euthanasia. |
| Shortly before she died, the senate rushed to discuss emergency legislation that would have banned the removal of feeding tubes. | Shortly before she died, the senate rushed to discuss emergency legislation that would have banned the removal of feeding tubes. |
| Politicians have said they will work to clarify Italy's right-to-die laws. | Politicians have said they will work to clarify Italy's right-to-die laws. |
| Euthanasia is illegal but patients have the right to refuse care. | Euthanasia is illegal but patients have the right to refuse care. |