After a 10-day fact-finding mission, the group said in a statementExternal link on Wednesday that it was “concerned about the prevalence of racial discrimination and the human rights situation of people of African descent in Switzerland”.
A 59-point document outlined the various problems faced by black people in the country, including what it called “shocking reports of police brutality and the expectation of impunity for police misconduct, extending over decades”.
They mentioned specifically the case of Nzoy Roger Wilhelm, shot dead by police in Morges last year, as well as several other cases representing what they called racial profiling, and for which centralised data and an independent review mechanism is lacking.
The group also said that the case of Brian K – a highly mediatised violent repeat offender held in solitary confinement in Zurich – was a “stark example of systemic racism in Switzerland”.
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Switzerland opts for permanent human rights watchdog
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The Swiss parliament has voted for the creation of a national human rights institution to monitor the application of human rights domestically.
It also criticised an “insufficient recognition” of Swiss ties to colonialism and the African slave trade, which it says is directly connected to the country’s modern wealth, notably through the profits made by banks and industries linked to slavery in the past.
From January 17-26, the members of the group travelled across Switzerland and met with people of African descent, as well as with politicians, police representatives, and civil society groups.
And despite the majority of the statement being negative, the group listed several “good practices and positive steps” taken to combat racism, including moves to create an operational national human rights institution.
Their final report will be presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2022.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
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French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Top politician tells ‘corrupt’ Eurovision to stay away from Bern
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A social media post by the president of Bern’s cantonal government critical of the Eurovision Song Contest has created waves and will be discussed in the cantonal parliament.
Swiss centre records over 200 victims of human trafficking
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Last year 317 people took part in a protection programme run by the Specialist Unit for Trafficking in Women and Women’s Migration (FIZ) in German-speaking Switzerland.
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The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Lack of smartphone sustainability in Switzerland hits environment
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Almost half of all Swiss citizens hang on to their old smartphones, tablets and laptops, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Police clear out pro-Palestinian students protesting in Geneva
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The police intervened early on Tuesday to dislodge pro-Palestinian students who had been occupying the University of Geneva for almost a week.
New gel developed in Zurich renders alcohol harmless
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A newly developed gel composed of whey proteins breaks down alcohol in the body and could reduce its harmful and intoxicating effects in humans.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
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Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
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.
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Why Switzerland should be doing more to fight racism
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The UN has pointed its finger at a lack of clear Swiss legislation to tackle racism as well as the lack of enough accessible recourse for victims.
UN body concerned at rise of racist hate speech in Switzerland
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The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) sees a rise in racist hate speech and racial profiling in Switzerland.
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Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture, has written to the Swiss government to complain about the treatment of a violent repeat offender.
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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.