This week, Amnesty International warned of a steady erosion of the right to protest in Switzerland. Once a central bulwark against injustice and arbitrary power, the freedom of assembly, the organisation argued, must be robustly defended—particularly amid a global surge in authoritarianism.
In its annual report published on Tuesday, the human-rights group criticised several recent cantonal restrictions on protesting in Switzerland. In Zurich, new legislation requires prior authorisation for demonstrations and allows authorities to pass police costs on to organisers. Geneva has also tightened controls, curbing when and where protests can take place. The change follows complaints from city-centre shopkeepers about frequent political marches.
Student protesters have also come under pressure. In recent months, participants in campus demonstrations against the war in Gaza have faced disciplinary threats and legal action.
Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are pillars of any democratic society, said Alexandra Karle, head of Amnesty International’s Swiss chapter. They are a litmus test of Switzerland’s commitment to human rights.
In addition, Amnesty took aim at Switzerland’s resistance to a recent ruling by European Court of Human Rights. It criticised Switzerland’s reluctance to comply with a European Court of Human Rights ruling in favour of the Climate Seniors, a citizens’ group suing the government for inadequate climate policy.
It also condemned Switzerland’s temporary freeze on funding for UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, amid the conflict in Gaza. After months of debate, the Federal Council agreed in May 2024 to disburse CHF 10 million to the agency—half of the amount initially allocated for the year. The move followed political wrangling: last September, the National Council backed a proposal from the right to suspend payments. But in March, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, rejected the measure, leaving Swiss contributions intact for now.
Amnesty says the episode has damaged the country’s reputation, undermines Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition and casts doubt on its commitment to international law. Swiss authorities must assume a more principled role on the world stage and defend the global human rights framework without ambiguity, it said.
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Amnesty article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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