A hemp farmer sentenced to more than five years in jail for growing marijuana and other offences now faces an extra year in prison.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
A court in Martigny, in French-speaking Switzerland, ordered that Bernard Rappaz – who hit the headlines after a series of hunger strikes – must serve 12 months for further offences.
Rappaz was found guilty on Tuesday of seriously violating the drugs law, money laundering and forgery of documents for a series of offences over the period 2002-2006. His lawyer said he would appeal the sentence.
Rappaz has begun and ended several hunger strikes since his first conviction in March 2010 which concerns the period 1996 to 2001. He claimed his sentence was too severe.
The case received widespread media attention in Switzerland, in particular because of the dilemma faced by the authorities over whether or not to force feed Rappaz if necessary.
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.
Read more
More
Convicted hemp farmer ends hunger strike
This content was published on
Bernard Rappaz from canton Valais said he would follow a court order and resume eating on Christmas Eve. The European Court of Human Rights rejected Rappaz’s requests to intervene in his case immediately after all Swiss authorities refused to commute his sentence. Judges in Strasbourg said it would take two to three years to hear…
This content was published on
Doctors have refused orders from the authorities to force feed him, turning the case into a modern Greek tragedy, one Swiss newspaper, the Tages-Anzeiger, wrote last week. In the latest twist to the story, on Tuesday the Federal Court rejected Rappaz’ appeal for his imprisonment to be suspended. Across Switzerland, everyone is talking about the…
This content was published on
Bernard Rappaz is now in Bern’s Insel hospital and doctors have been told by Esther Waeber-Kalbermatten, a member of the Valais government who is responsible for the dossier, to force-feed him to keep him alive. She made the decision after consultation with the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne, which is to consider an appeal by…
This content was published on
Swiss tobacco production is on the decline; only about 400 farmers still grow this labour-intensive crop. Most of them are in the Broye Valley stretching across cantons Vaud and Fribourg. Their production covers only a small share of the tobacco consumed in Switzerland. (Text and images, Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch)
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.