She was sentenced in January 2014 to a fine of CHF500 ($563) for begging in Geneva on a public highway. The woman, who had no work and was not receiving social assistance, was then placed in pre-trial detention for five days for not paying the fine.
However, the Strasbourg-based court said on Tuesday that the sanction was not proportionate either to the aim of fighting organised crime or of protecting the rights of passers-by, residents and business owners.
“Placed in a situation of manifest vulnerability, the applicant had the right, inherent to human dignity, to be able to express her distress and try to remedy her needs by begging,” said the European court. It said Switzerland had violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights on protecting the right to respect for private and family life.
The court ordered Switzerland to pay the applicant €922 for non-pecuniary damage.
Begging is banned in most Swiss cantons, but associations working with the marginalised say bans are hitting the most vulnerable.
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Ban on begging hits Switzerland’s most vulnerable
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In one canton where begging has been outlawed, the authorities are satisfied with the results, but those affected are suffering great hardship.
FIFA loses multi-million lawsuit against Blatter and Kattner
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Former FIFA officials Joseph Blatter and Markus Kattner do not have to pay back their own bonuses or the bonus totalling CHF 23 million paid to another FIFA official to FIFA. This was decided by the Zurich Labour Court.
How cancer cells makes healthy cells work for them
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Cancer cells manipulate neighbouring cells for their own purposes: a research team at ETH Zurich has discovered that they can reprogram neighbouring cells in such a way that they help the tumour to grow.
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The ban on non-residents entering the swimming pool in Porrentruy, canton Jura, expires on Sunday and would be extended until the end of the season, the mayor said.
Natural disasters: most Swiss back forced resettlement
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The authorities should be allowed to order forced relocations if there is a medium-term risk of a natural event, according to 58% of participants in a survey.
US ends duty-free for parcels from all over the world
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Postal service providers in numerous countries such as Switzerland have announced that they will no longer accept most parcels destined for the US.
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Following the Roma in Lausanne and Romania
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The photographer Yves Leresche documented the lives of Roma beggars in Lausanne for five years the before the ban came into force in 2018.
Why living on the breadline is especially hard in Switzerland
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Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world. But high living costs put people on low income under huge pressure.
Vaud begging ban to come into force, court confirms
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A disputed law banning begging in canton Vaud will indeed come into force, the Swiss Federal Court has confirmed, rejecting an appeal.
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A move to ban begging in canton Vaud, now tied up in the courts, raises the question whether such a law undermines fundamental human rights.
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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.