Cyprus trial of UK man: Was it murder or assisted suicide?

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The trial of a British man charged with the premeditated murder of his ill wife in Cyprus’ coastal resort of Paphos has been pushed back until September and he will remain in custody. Defense lawyers say, however, 74-year-old David Hunter should be charged with nothing more than assisted suicide. According to Justice Abroad — a group that defends Britons embroiled in legal difficulties in foreign countries — the trial is likely the first euthanasia case to be tried on the eastern Mediterranean island nation. Cypriot lawmakers, meanwhile, are just opening a debate whether to decriminalize euthanasia amid strong opposition from the Orthodox Church. Hunter’s wife Janice died in December 2021 at the couple’s retirement home in Paphos.