Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
As in much of the world, the media in Switzerland are closely watching the situation in the Middle East following the US attack on Iran over the weekend.
Switzerland’s role takes on particular significance, as it has long represented Washington’s interests in the Islamic Republic.
Also in today’s selection: stories on religion, digital art and the sensitive issue of assisted suicide.
Switzerland, which has acted as a protective power for the United States in Iran since 1980, “had not been informed” of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday night, said Monika Schmutz Kirgöz, head of the Middle East Division at the Swiss foreign ministry. Speaking to the Tages-Anzeiger, she expressed concern over the developments.
The diplomatic channel between Tehran and Washington remains open and is “currently being used”, she confirmed, though without providing details. On Friday, the Swiss foreign ministry announced the temporary closure of the embassy in Tehran and the creation of a task force in Bern to coordinate its regional response.
Schmutz Kirgöz, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and nearly all major Swiss political parties have called for de-escalation. But diplomatic room for manoeuvre is shrinking, the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) division admits. Much will depend on Iran’s response, with fears that Tehran could block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for global oil trade – a move that could draw more countries into the conflict.
Religion in Switzerland is steadily losing followers, according to a report by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The number of people taking part in religious services or events has declined significantly over the past decade.
In 2014, nearly one-third of the population said they had not attended a religious event in the previous year; by 2024, that figure had risen to almost 50%.
Even those who claim to believe in a god are fewer and fewer. In 2014, it was 46%, compared to 38% last year. Despite this, in difficult times in life (56%) and in cases of illness (52%), religion or spirituality continues to play a rather or very important role for the majority of the population.
Traditional media habits are also changing. Programmes with spiritual content on radio and television are attracting fewer viewers and listeners, and the habit of private prayer is also fading.
The rate of both assisted and unassisted suicides among Switzerland’s elderly population has reached record highs, reports Swiss public broadcaster, RTS.
In 2023, people over the age of 85 were eight times more likely to take their own lives than the general population. Over the past 25 years, the suicide rate in this age group has quadrupled; among those aged 65–84, it has doubled. By contrast, suicide among younger people has fallen by about 30% over the past two decades.
This shift is largely due to the increased availability of assisted suicide. In the 65–84 age group, four out of five suicides involved an assisted dying service; for those over 85, that proportion rises to nine out of ten.
According to Jean-Jacques Bise, co-president of the Swiss-French branch of Exit, this trend also reflects generational values. Many in the elderly population today fought for self-determination in life – and now demand the same freedom in death.
A major digitisation project by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has brought new life to a forgotten masterpiece of Swiss historical art: the Panorama of the Battle of Murten by Louis Braun.
Measuring ten by 100 metres, the painting is too large to be exhibited permanently. EPFL’s Laboratory of Experimental Museology has now digitised it in unprecedented detail, creating a 1.6-trillion-pixel image – the highest-resolution digital rendering of a physical object to date.
The interactive online platform offers two viewing modes: a scientific portal for source analysis and annotation, and an immersive “Terapixel Panorama” enriched with 3D visuals, motion capture and soundscapes.
The original painting depicts the 1476 battle in which Swiss forces defeated Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Created in 1894, it was restored in the early 2000s and displayed temporarily at Expo.02 in a floating cube on Lake Murten.
Translated from Italian using DeepL/amva/ts
In compliance with the JTI standards
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