Detained Islamic State woman and child seek return to Switzerland
The Swiss Muslim woman being interviewed by SRF at the Kurdish camp in northeast Syria.
SRF-SWI
A Swiss Muslim woman, captured with her one-year-old child in the self-proclaimed Islamic State, has spoken of her desire to return to Switzerland. The woman and child have been detained by Kurdish forces at a camp in Syria for the last seven months.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Swiss public television SRF filmed an interview with the 29-year-old at the internment camp. “I guess I was just stupid. If you have everything you want in Switzerland, you might get bored at some point. You think, let’s go on an adventure!” she said.
The woman, who has Bosnian roots, moved from Lausanne to the Islamic State territory in 2015 together with her husband. Their daughter was born there in April 2017 and they were all captured in January. “I know it’s naive, but we thought life there would be pleasant. You get a house, you get money. But when you arrive, you realise everything is a lie.”
The Kurdish authorities confirmed to SRF that in addition to the woman, her daughter and husband – who is being held in a prison at a different location – they are holding two other Swiss women, thought to be from the northwestern Swiss town of Biel.
A representative of the Kurdish foreign affairs office called on Switzerland and all other countries to repatriate their citizens who have been arrested in the Islamic State. The SRF report states that there are apparent diplomatic negotiations taking place behind the scenes by the Swiss foreign ministry to see if repatriations are possible.
According to the Tages Anzeiger newspaper, which also interviewed the woman, she would welcome a return to Switzerland even if it resulted in a Swiss prison term. Both she and her husband have been under investigation by Swiss prosecutors since they left for IS.
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?
Switzerland wants to examine cooperation with the EU in the defence sector
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to examine a security and defence partnership with the EU. Exploratory talks are to begin as soon as possible. Among other things, the partnership would be used for defence procurement.
Swiss trial shows organic farming is 85% as productive as conventional agriculture
This content was published on
This is shown by the results of a globally unique open-air trial that has been running for 47 years in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
This content was published on
Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.
Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.
This content was published on
The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.
Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
This content was published on
For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.
Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates
This content was published on
Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.
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
Three Swiss IS members and child held in Syria
This content was published on
Two of the women, aged 24 and 36, are from Biel in northwestern Switzerland but left the country to live in IS in 2014. The third woman (29) is from Lausanne in the western French speaking part of the country. She and her partner, a jihadist fighter, moved to IS a year later, according to SRF.…
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.