Stalking will now be a criminal offence in Switzerland

Stalking will now be a criminal offence in Switzerland Keystone-SDA

Stalking will now be clearly punishable in Switzerland. The Swiss parliament agreed on Thursday to include obsessive harassment in the Criminal Code.

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The Senate unanimously approved the conciliation proposal that went its way. The House of Representatives did the same on Wednesday, putting its fist in its pocket after a lengthy disagreement over how stalking should be prosecuted.

The parliamentarians wanted to prosecute the perpetrators of this offence automatically when it occurs in a marital relationship, where it is most common. Victims of obsessive stalking will have to lodge a complaint regardless of the case, as desired by the Senate and federal government.

Parliamentarian Philippe Nantermod told the committee on Wednesday that the argument that the victim’s full cooperation is needed to prove the offence committed was unanimously accepted.

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Translated from French by DeepL/jdp

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