Zurich police officer cleared of racial assault 

The Zurich court rejected allegations of a racially motivated attack KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / MICHAEL BUHOLZER

The Zurich high court has acquitted a 48-year-old police officer of the charge of endangering life. He was accused of the serious assault of a black man who had resisted a body search in Zurich in 2009. 

On Thursday, the court confirmed the acquittal of the Zurich district court from April 2018. Together with the 48-year-old police officer who led the controversial operation, a policewoman and a police officer were also on trial at the time.  

Their acquittals were no longer contested before the high court. 

Like the district court, the high court acquitted the police officer of the charge of endangering life. The police officer had not strangled the then 36-year-old private plaintiff Wilson A. and had not used any other unreasonable force. Rather, the private plaintiff had caused the escalation through his behaviour. 

The court rejected accusations of racial profiling made by the private plaintiff’s lawyer. “If the police are looking for a dark-skinned person, they will check dark-skinned people and not white people and vice versa,” said the presiding judge. 

The judgement of the High Court is not yet legally binding. It can be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court. 

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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