Attorney General to crack down on Islamist propaganda
The Swiss Attorney General, Michael Lauber, plans to get tougher on people using Islam to glorify terrorist acts by challenging their freedom of expression in the courts.
In an interview published in the German-language paper Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Friday, Lauber said his office was pursuing a “zero tolerance strategy” against attempts at radicalisation in Switzerland.
He revealed plans to investigate the president and spokesperson of the Islamic Central Council of Switzerland (ICCS) in connection with a propaganda video of a trip by an ICCS board member to conflict zones in Syria.
Lauber said the case was “high priority” as it would help clarify the legal boundaries between freedom of expression and propaganda on behalf of terror groups. He plans to bring the case to the Federal Criminal Court next year.
In response to a question on action against the Swiss wing of the Koran distributing campaign “Lies!” (“Read!” in German) that was recently banned in Germany, Lauber said that his office was opening cases as soon as they have the necessary facts. So far, around 70 procedures are active against those indulging in propaganda aimed at radicalising Muslims.
The Attorney General said he was against banning Islamist groups, as it would only drive them underground.
“This would make our work more difficult and promote radicalisation,” he said.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.