“Let me die in peace”: very moved, Yann Barthès reads Charles Biétry’s letter on the end of life on the set of Quotidien

Charles Bietry avait publié en mars dernier dans les colonnes de L’Équipe une lettre ouverte dans laquelle il saluait le projet de loi sur l’aide à mourir soutenu par Emmanuel Macron. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – Philippe Renault

In an issue dedicated to the end of life, broadcast this Tuesday, April 9 on TMC, the host of the show Yann Barthès spoke of the journalist Charles Biétry to whom he is close, and read an extract from his column published in L’Équipe last month.

While the sensitive project on the end of life, which should open up the possibility of legislation on supervised assistance in dying, is presented this Wednesday April 10 in council ministers, the emotion around the subject was strong on the set of Quotidien last night.

In an issue dedicated to the end of life, broadcast this Tuesday, April 9 on TMC, the host of the show Yann Barthès spoke of the journalist Charles Biétry with whom he is close. The latter, former sports boss of Canal +, revealed in April 2023 to be suffering from Charcot's disease, and to have planned to resort to assisted suicide in Switzerland.

"Charles Biétry has been extremely important for television and sport"

On March 13, the sports newspaper L’Équipe published an open letter from the journalist, entitled &quot ;Let me die in peace, in which he welcomed the bill on assisted dying supported by Emmanuel Macron.

"Charles Biétry has meant a lot to television and sport. He suffers from Charcot disease, and this morning I spoke to him of the theme of this evening's show and he wanted us to read extracts from his column published in the newspaper l’Équipe a few weeks ago", explained Yann Barthès, before beginning to read this text, with difficulty containing his emotion.

Charles Biétry, grande figure de la télévision et ami de l’émission a annoncé être atteint de la maladie de Charcot. En cette période de débats sur la fin de vie, il a souhaité qu’on lise l’extrait de sa tribune parue dans l’Équipe dans l’émission de ce soir. pic.twitter.com/5bIANIuPes

— Julien Bellver (@julienbellver) April 9, 2024

"The three discreet knocks on my bedroom door should have alerted me. The entrance of three doctors with impassive faces should have worried me. Their pitiless words announcing this Charcot disease to me should have distressed me. So, I was going to die, and I wasn't afraid. Because before talking about our end, I would like to tell my sick comrades that as soon as the diagnosis is known, it means that we have a few months and a few years left to live. Let's not waste them, they are too precious.

The assisted dying project, "a gift from heaven"

Charles Biétry also evokes in this text his initial plan to go to Switzerland to end his life in the context of assisted suicide, and the announcement of the legislation’ ;nbsp;of the aid in dying that he received as a "gift from heaven". "No more need to go to Switzerland, no more need to hide in the office of a doctor who is breaking the law, no more need to fight for respect my freedom", rejoices the 80-year-old journalist.

"I respect the position of those who, in good health for the vast majority, do not think like me but I tell them &#39 ;let me die alone. I also tell them 'let me continue to fight the disease'. And I say to all my sick friends: hang on, the research is progressing. Perhaps some of us will be saved. Not me probably, but at least I would have seen a first step forward, still insufficient, from which I could benefit. And which allows me to conclude that it is a small step for humanity but a big step for dignity, finishes Yann Barthès with a tight voice.< /p>