Philip Nitschke. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Australian euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke has been detained at Auckland Airport for bringing in copies of a handbook advising people how to take their own lives.
Customs officials detained Dr Nitschke yesterday afternoon because he had brought in copies of his Peaceful Pill Handbook, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
reported. He has since been released.
Australia last year banned the book, which offers advice on assisted suicide.
Dr Nitschke said last month that he wanted to screen two films at meetings in New Zealand in support of euthanasia.
The short films are The Single Shot and Doing It with Betty.
At the time a spokesman for New Zealand's chief censor, Bill Hastings, said Dr Nitschke could run foul of New Zealand laws if he tried to screen the films before they were classified here.
"The only exceptions to that are if you were to bring in a film and show it to your friends.
"You don't need to get that classified.
"But if you want to show it to the public he would have to get them classified," the spokesman said.
"There are a narrow band of exemptions for films shown to the public, which include documentaries and natural history films.
"But if they have material in them which give them an age restriction or mean they would be banned, you can't claim that exemption ...
"I guess his book was banned, and that could be an indicator of that," he said.
A failure to abide by New Zealand's classification laws could lead to a fine of up to $3000 for individuals.
- NZPA
