The Federal Court made the decision on Thursday in the case of an Afghan man who was sentenced in July 2018 to nine years behind bars for a series of charges, including the attempted premeditated murder of his wife. He appealed and that trial is still pending.
In January, the man wanted to hand over CHF4,000 ($4,100) to another person that he had earned while in prison. However, the money was confiscated to secure the costs of legal proceedings, following an order by the president of the criminal division of the high court of canton Nidwalden in central Switzerland.
The prisoner successfully appealed to the Federal Supreme Court. In their verdict, the Lausanne-based judges stated that the salary was an unseizable asset.
Because most prisoners are over-indebted, a seizure of wages would have an adverse effect on their motivation to work and thus on safety in the penal system, the court explained in its judgement.
Prisoners would also be unable to save anything for the time after their release, which would be detrimental to rehabilitation, the judges reasoned.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
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The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
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The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
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Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
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Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
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New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
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In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
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Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
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Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
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From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
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The long road to the Geneva Conventions of 1949
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Seventy years ago, Switzerland achieved a diplomatic coup in organising a major diplomatic conference in 1949 to revise the Geneva Conventions.
Swiss doctor avoids prison in assisted suicide case
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A doctor from canton Basel-Country in north western Switzerland was acquitted of murder charges for helping a mentally-ill woman commit suicide.
Chinese researcher in ‘economic warfare’ case loses appeal
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A Chinese scientist, accused by the US of helping to steal trade secrets, must remain in Swiss custody due to flight risk, says a federal court.
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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.