Actress and Holocaust survivor, 96, was dominated by husband into Swiss clinic suicide', friend says

"Ruth was disempowered. He [Michael] was very dominant. I spoke to them and sent emails, saying please don't kill yourselves'. I tried to talk Ruth out of it, but I felt it was too far gone, that she was totally under his control. As for their final message, Mrs Pascal said: Ruth sent the email, but I believe Michael would have dictated it to her."

"Ruth was an extraordinary woman. She survived the Radom Ghetto, slave labour and life in hiding under a false identity. By the end of the war, Mrs Posner and"

Ruth Posner, 96, and her husband Michael, 97, died by assisted suicide at Pegasos near Basel after sending an email stating their deaths were mutual and without outside pressure. A close friend described Ruth as emotionally controlled and dominated by Michael and reported unsuccessful attempts to dissuade them. Dignitas refused to assist because the couple lacked a doctor's confirmation of a terminal prognosis, prompting travel to Pegasos. Ruth survived the Radom Ghetto, slave labour and hiding under a false identity, later training as a dancer and working as an actress in television and film. Michael trained as a chemist and worked internationally.

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