Good morning, this is Kasmira. Three years ago, Switzerland’s rights record was put under the magnifying glass at the UN Committee against Torture. One of the panel of experts’ long-standing grievances has been the country’s reticence to specifically criminalise torture.
After parliamentarians in June decided to give themselves two more years to draft a bill to change this, Etienne Cottier, head of advocacy at the NGO ACAT-Switzerland, argues there’s no more excuse for stalling. |
|
Members of the National Council, during the winter session of the Federal Assembly on Monday, 8 December, 2025, in the National Council in Bern. (Keystone/Peter Klaunzer)
|
|
Switzerland ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture 40 years ago. Despite repeated criticism from UN bodies and civil society, it has yet to introduce a specific torture offence into its own criminal code. A parliamentary initiative introduced five years ago seeks to fill this gap, but progress has been slow. Where does this reluctance come from, and why does a specific criminal norm matter?
On 2 February 1986, Switzerland ratified the Convention against Torture, having actively supported its drafting behind the scenes at the United Nations. As home to the International Committee of the Red Cross, it had extensive experience with detention conditions around the world. Shortly afterwards, Geneva banker Jean-Jacques Gautier developed a prevention system based on unannounced visits to places of detention. From this vision emerged the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture in 1987, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture in 2002 – two treaties in which Switzerland was instrumental.
Given this exemplary record, how can it be that Switzerland has still not adopted a specific torture offence?
Read the full story on Geneva Solutions.
|
|
Here’s what else is happening
|
|
GS news is a new media project covering the world of international cooperation and development. Don’t hesitate to forward our newsletter!
Have a good day!
|
|
|
Avenue du Bouchet 2
1209 Genève
Suisse
|
|
|
|
