Government against treating Ukrainian war-wounded in Swiss hospitals
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hand with an injured Ukrainian serviceman at a hospital in Dnipro, Ukraine.
Keystone / Presidential Press Service Hando
The Swiss government has objected to a NATO request to treat Ukrainians wounded in the war on the grounds of neutrality.
This content was published on
1 minute
Tages Anzeiger/ac
Español
es
El Gobierno se opone a tratar a los heridos de guerra ucranianos en hospitales suizos
According to the TagesAnzeiger newspaper, certain Swiss cantons had expressed a willingness in May to treat the wounded but opposition from governmental quarters scuppered the initiative. The request was originally made by a NATO department called the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre. This body coordinates medical evacuations from Ukraine internationally.
This request triggered investigations by Switzerland’s coordinated medical service, the Federal Office of Public Health and the foreign ministry. Three weeks later the authorities rejected the admission of wounded Ukrainians for legal and practical reasons.
The main objections were that it would violate Switzerland’s status as a neutral state under international law. For example, the Geneva Convention and Hague Agreement of 1907 require neutral states to ensure that the rehabilitated soldiers can no longer take part in military operations after their recovery.
With regard to wounded civilians, the government was of the opinion that it is almost impossible to distinguish civilians from soldiers given that many civilians in Ukraine are taking up arms to defend their country. Instead, Swiss officials prefer to help the wounded by channeling humanitarian aid to civilian hospitals in Ukraine.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Swiss price watchdog negotiates lower fees for card payments
This content was published on
Small businesses in Switzerland will have to pay fewer fees for cashless payments from customers over the next few years.
Lakes in Central Switzerland have best water quality for bathing
This content was published on
Anyone who swims in a lake in Central Switzerland need have no fear of infection from intestinal bacteria. The water samples taken at 65 bathing sites in 13 lakes all have good to excellent bathing water quality.
This content was published on
Unknown assailants have stolen a historic ring from a Basel museum. The stolen item was a gift from Russian Tsar Alexander I to his host in Basel in 1814.
More May hotel guests in Basel than at any time in past 90 years
This content was published on
Basel hotels recorded 150,854 overnight stays for the Eurovision Song Contest in May. This corresponds to a year-on-year increase of 8.4%.
Demand remains high for rental flats in Switzerland
This content was published on
More rental flats are once again being advertised on property portals in Switzerland. However, demand also remains very high.
One in five Europeans exposed to too much traffic noise
This content was published on
More than one in five Europeans are exposed to unhealthily high levels of traffic noise, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
New living space through densification often comes at expense of the poor
This content was published on
If demolition and new construction are carried out and tenants have to make way, low-income households are affected more often than average.
This content was published on
The ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war has visibly eased tensions on the financial markets. The SMI, Switzerland's leading stock market index, has risen above the 12,000 point mark again.
Swiss conference sets principles for Ukraine reconstruction
This content was published on
An international conference to support Ukraine has agreed to a series of principles to oversee the reconstruction of the war-torn country.
Wanted: politically convenient definition of ‘neutrality’
This content was published on
Switzerland is in search of a new interpretation of its neutrality. An international comparison shows there are plenty of variations.
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.