Former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt and his wife, Eugenie van Agt-Krekelberg, were buried together on Thursday. The couple, both aged 93, had been inseparable for over 70 years, passed away hand-in-hand in a double euthanasia.
The news was shared by The Rights Forum, a human rights organization founded by Dries van Agt, which revealed that the couple would be buried in a private ceremony in the city of Nijmegen, where they first met as students.
According to the statement issued by the organisation: “He died hand in hand with his beloved wife Eugenie van Agt-Krekelberg, the support and anchor with whom he was together for more than 70 years and whom he always continued to refer to as ‘my girl’.”
The former prime minister had faced health challenges in recent years, suffering a brain hemorrhage in 2019 during a speech at a Palestinian commemoration event. Despite medical efforts, he never fully recovered from the incident.
Dries van Agt, who served as a Christian Democrat prime minister from 1977 to 1982, was known for his progressive stance on various issues. After leaving politics, he continued to advocate for human rights causes and became increasingly vocal about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
His departure from the Christian Democratic Appeal party in 2017 highlighted ideological differences regarding the approach to Israel and the Palestinians.
The Netherlands legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide under specific conditions in 2002, allowing individuals with unbearable suffering to end their lives with medical assistance. While double euthanasia cases are rare, they have seen a slight increase in recent years, with 26 cases reported in 2020 and 58 in 2022 out of a total of approximately 9,000 euthanasia cases nationwide.
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