This week, Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court sentenced a former Gambian interior minister to 20 years in prison for multiple crimes against humanity, reported RTS. The ruling is historic. It is the first time a European court has convicted and sentenced someone for crimes committed against humanity outside Europe. Ousman Sonko came to Switzerland as an […]
Switzerland wins Eurovision with song “The Code”
Nemo Mettler, the 24-year-old who grew up in Bienne/Biel in Switzerland, won Eurovision with “The Code”, a song with elements of rap, drum and base and opera. This year’s Eurovision competition, the 68th edition, took place over the weekend in the Swedish city of Malmo. Born in Switzerland in 1999, Nemo has been playing the […]
Federal Council wants to get tough on conscription choices to boost military
A shortage of military personnel is creating challenges for Switzerland’s leaders. This week, the Federal Council said it wants to make it harder for conscripts to opt for community service and to use some of those doing civil service for defense. However, the idea was met with resistance. Over the years, it has become easier […]
Swiss police firearm use lowest in 14 years
Switzerland’s police carry guns but rarely use them. In 2023, firearms were used only twice, the lowest number in 14 years, reported CCPCS, an organisation that connects cantonal police forces. The use of police force is always based on the principle of proportionality, said the organisation. The use of firearms is only permitted as a […]
Migration between Swiss cantons – gainers and losers
The population is growing exceptionally fast in Switzerland. The nation draws many migrants from the EU and takes in proportionally high numbers of refugees. Over the last 20 years, the nation’s population has risen by 20%, far more than in France (10%), Austria (12%), Italy (3%) and Germany (2%) over the same period. In addition […]
Sharp rise in racism in Swiss schools
The number of incidents of discrimination reported in Switzerland jumped 24% to 876 cases in 2023, according to a report published by a human rights organisation helping victims of harassment and discrimination. Of the total, roughly half involved expressions of discrimination and the rest discriminatory treatment. The most common place these events occured was at […]
Death of Swiss soldier probably suicide
This week, a young man doing his Swiss military service was killed when a rifle went off. After the incident, which occured at the Bremgarten weapons range in Aargau on Tuesday, the military justice department opened an investigation. On Friday, the department announced the death was probably suicide, reported SRF. On Tuesday, a shot was […]
Swiss commission wants asylum seekers deported to third country
An idea put forward by the FDP/PLR to have certain rejected asylum seekers sent to a country other than the one they came from found support in a parliamentary commission this week, reported SRF. The comission voted 14 to 11 in favour of the idea. Normally, asylum seekers who have their applications rejected are returned […]
French on the rise in Switzerland’s bilingual cities
Switzerland has three main languages, and liguistic divides run through some cities such as Biel/Biennes and Freiburg/Fribourg. In Swiss cities in general, French is on the rise. In bilingual cities where some residents speak French at home and others German, French is gaining ground fast, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). There […]
Swiss cantons with the highest population growth
By the end of 2023, Switzerland’s population had swelled by 145,000 to 8.96 million, according to figures published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. The recent annual rise in numbers (+1.6%) was exceptionally high because of the roughly 50,000 Ukrainians who were counted as residents for the first time in 2023. The population […]
