Swiss Identity

Survivor of Stalin’s camps recalls the horror

This content was published on May 8, 2004 For one Swiss woman who spent five years in a camp in Soviet Kazakhstan, the memories of her imprisonment are still vivid. Else Rutgers, now 92, was one of around 200 Swiss Communists who emigrated to Moscow after the Russian Revolution of 1917 – and one of the few to survive the Gulag. Rutgers was…

History

Jewish group marks 100 years of bridge-building

This content was published on May 7, 2004 But when it was set up in 1904, the federation’s main aim was to fight the ban on the ritual slaughter of animals in Switzerland. “We are still trying hard to get rid of the prejudices against Jews and combat anti-Semitism in Switzerland – as far as that’s possible,” Thomas Lyssy, vice president of the…

Demographics

Stalin’s long shadow

This content was published on May 7, 2004 Many of them were kicked out of the country on suspicion of spying. Others ended up in Stalin’s prison camps or were shot, according to the Swiss historian, Peter Huber. “About 20 or 25 Swiss were sent to Gulags where they disappeared or were shot,” Huber told swissinfo. Many of the Swiss who were persecuted…

ICRC warned US of prisoner abuse a year ago

This content was published on May 7, 2004 The ICRC said in a leaked report it had discovered widespread abuse and “serious violations” of the rights of inmates inside Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. “Our findings were discussed at different moments between March and November 2003, either in direct face-to-face conversations or in written interventions,” Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the ICRC’s director of operations, told a…

Culture

Swiss architects reveal the secrets of their success

This content was published on May 6, 2004 The duo designed the building in which the show is housed – the Schaulager warehouse – as well as the models on display. “It does not happen very often that architects stage their exhibition in a building that they actually designed,” said Theodora Vischer, the director of the Schaulager building. “No. 250 – an Exhibition”…

Demographics

US seeks to calm fears over stricter border checks

This content was published on May 6, 2004 Officials said the collection and storage of biometric data – including fingerprints and digital photographs – would be rigorously protected. Washington’s decision to introduce stricter entry procedures for visitors has drawn criticism from Swiss politicians and data protection officials. The new rules are due to come into force in October 2005 and will apply to…

Demographics

ICRC warned US about Iraqi prisoner abuse

This content was published on May 6, 2004 On Thursday the ICRC said it first informed the US authorities several months ago about the handling of inmates inside Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. “The ICRC is aware of the situation in Abu Ghraib and based on… its interviews with prisoners, it has repeatedly made requests to the US authorities to take corrective action,” said…

Culture

Florian Schneider & e Gugelfuehr: Anderi Lieder us em Feufliberdaal

This content was published on May 6, 2004

Culture

Ballet legend celebrates 50 years of dance

This content was published on May 6, 2004 French-born Béjart, who has been based in Lausanne since 1987, is widely regarded as having stretched the boundaries of ballet, challenging audiences and critics alike. His company is famous for its innovative and sometimes controversial ballets, mixing classical technique and modern movement. “My ballets are first encounters with a piece of music, with life, death,…

Demographics

Asylum policy pleases no one

This content was published on May 5, 2004 But the revisions have pleased neither the Left nor the Right. The new law – which still has to be approved by the Senate – will crack down on asylum seekers arriving from so-called “safe” countries and will permit cuts in development aid to countries which refuse to take back rejected asylum seekers. Amid the…

Swiss Identity

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Swiss Identity

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Survivor of Stalin’s camps recalls the horror

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Jewish group marks 100 years of bridge-building

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Stalin’s long shadow

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ICRC warned US of prisoner abuse a year ago

More

Swiss architects reveal the secrets of their success

More

US seeks to calm fears over stricter border checks

More

ICRC warned US about Iraqi prisoner abuse

More

Florian Schneider & e Gugelfuehr: Anderi Lieder us em Feufliberdaal

More

Ballet legend celebrates 50 years of dance

More

Asylum policy pleases no one

Popular Stories

Most Discussed