Swiss parliament prolongs Islamic State and al-Qaeda ban
Both houses of parliament have unanimously voted to ban al-Qaeda and Islamic State terror groups in Switzerland for a further four years.
The ban prohibits participating in or supporting the banned organisations as well as distributing related propaganda. Recruitment for the organisations is also illegal.
The law first came into force in 2015, but was limited until the end of 2018. In order to avoid legal loopholes, the House of Representatives and the Senate decided to extend the ban by four years until the year 2022.
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In 2022, the ban will be replaced by new regulations to combat terrorism.
Under the new regulations, the police will be able to take preventative action against potentially dangerous militants and the ban on travelling for terrorist purposes will be permanently included in the Swiss criminal code.
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