Advertisement

Concern as Swiss parliament backs plan to deport terrorists

The Local Switzerland
The Local Switzerland - [email protected]
Concern as Swiss parliament backs plan to deport terrorists
The Swiss government had recommended that the parliament reject a motion to deport terrorists to countries where they faced persecution. File photo: AFP

Amnesty International has criticized the Swiss parliament after it voted in favour of a motion to deport convicted terrorists even in cases where they face torture or death.

Advertisement

The human rights organization said in a statement that Switzerland faced violating international law with the proposal.

Under the international non-refoulement principle, countries cannot return refugees to countries where they are at serious risk of persecution.

The Swiss constitution also states: “No person may be deported to a state in which they face the threat of torture or any other form of cruel or inhumane treatment or punishment.”

However, in a tight vote, the Swiss senate this week voted in favour of a controversial motion that would allow convicted members of terrorist groups like so-called Islamic State (ISIS or IS) to be deported even in cases where they face persecution in their home country.

That vote came after the lower house of the Swiss parliament also backed the proposal.

The decision was sending a “very negative signal” to the rest of the world, Amnesty International said in its statement.

The Swiss government had previously recommended that the parliament reject the motion (here in German) put forward by Christian Democrat (SVP) politician Fabio Regazzi.

Legislation to be drawn up

The 2016 motion came in response to a case in which several Iraqi citizens were convicted of planning a terrorist attack in Switzerland but could not be deported after completing their prison terms as they faced torture or even death sentences.

In his original motion, Regazzi referred to an article in the 1951 Geneva Convention which states that refugees who present a danger to the country where they reside, or who have been found guilty of a serious crimes, should not be protected by the non-refoulement principle.

But the Swiss government stated that the clause in the Swiss constitution banning the deportation of people to countries where they faced danger took precedence.

During a debate on the motion in the lower house last year, critics described it as “populist” and as an example of “hysteria”.

However, both the senate and the lower house have now defied the government.

The Swiss government now faces the difficult task of attempting to draw up draft legislation that ensures the country meets its obligation under international law while also meeting the demands of the parliament.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

[email protected] 2019/03/23 17:13
Decisions by government departments in charge of immigration and asylum in Switzerland and across Europe not to deport foreign terrorists and criminals repeatedly demonstrates the truth, that the simplest way to explain the behaviour of any bureaucratic organisation "is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies" rather than by the people living in Switzerland.<br />In Europe national security and counter-terrorist measures are not sound or at best very soft.<br />See recent events in Holland, Belgium and Britain. In the UK the perpetrators of the Westminster, Manchester, and London Bridge attacks were well known to intelligence services and police beforehand.<br /> “These recent attacks in Europe, demonstrate the need to protect the public and that this should by far outweigh the human rights of terrorists,<br />Why Does Switzerland Not Deport Terrorists? It is a sad indication of the Law of the Land that foreign terrorists & criminals cannot be deported. They hide securely and comfortably behind the Human Rights Council and European Laws, Amnesty International at considerable costs to the nation’s taxpayers.<br />In Switzerland and western Europe it seems that those foreigners who are trained by ISIS, and alien terrorist and criminals are most welcome to remain and acquire permanent residence for themselves and their families and one day citizenship.

See Also