UN criticises ‘restrictive’ Swiss asylum rules

Keystone / Francesca Agosta

The Swiss definition of a refugee is “very restrictive” and excludes certain groups to their detriment, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.

This is particularly the case for those fleeing civil war, who are granted asylum only if they “can prove that they are individually persecuted”, the UNHCR wrote in a report published on Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

It is “particularly difficult” to come up with such proof in a context of civil war, “where groups of people are persecuted because they belong to the opposing camp or because they are suspected of doing so,” the UN agency said.

It mentions the example of a Syrian family, whose home was the target of a bomb strike by a group that suspected opponents were living there. But because this was not considered proof of  targeted persecution, the family was granted only temporary admission status (F permit) in Switzerland.

Furthermore in Switzerland, unlike in other European countries, people admitted provisionally do not enjoy the same rights as refugees (B permits), Anja Klug, head of the UNHCR office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.

Such people with provisional status face many obstacles, particularly in finding employment. They “simply don’t have the same opportunities to integrate,” Klug added. Today, nearly 50,000 people hold an F permit in Switzerland.

Overall, however, the UN agency said Switzerland generally respects the terms of the 1951 Refugee Convention.