After a 10-day fact-finding mission, the group said in a statementExternal link on Wednesday that it was “concerned about the prevalence of racial discrimination and the human rights situation of people of African descent in Switzerland”.
A 59-point document outlined the various problems faced by black people in the country, including what it called “shocking reports of police brutality and the expectation of impunity for police misconduct, extending over decades”.
They mentioned specifically the case of Nzoy Roger Wilhelm, shot dead by police in Morges last year, as well as several other cases representing what they called racial profiling, and for which centralised data and an independent review mechanism is lacking.
The group also said that the case of Brian K – a highly mediatised violent repeat offender held in solitary confinement in Zurich – was a “stark example of systemic racism in Switzerland”.
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Switzerland opts for permanent human rights watchdog
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The Swiss parliament has voted for the creation of a national human rights institution to monitor the application of human rights domestically.
It also criticised an “insufficient recognition” of Swiss ties to colonialism and the African slave trade, which it says is directly connected to the country’s modern wealth, notably through the profits made by banks and industries linked to slavery in the past.
From January 17-26, the members of the group travelled across Switzerland and met with people of African descent, as well as with politicians, police representatives, and civil society groups.
And despite the majority of the statement being negative, the group listed several “good practices and positive steps” taken to combat racism, including moves to create an operational national human rights institution.
Their final report will be presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2022.
Swiss food giant Nestlé to invest millions in Nescafé in Spain
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The Swiss multinational is to invest €15 million (CHF14.3 million) in its Nescafé factory, which produces instant coffee and Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules, in Girona near Barcelona.
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Malfunctions led to a worldwide outage of the social media platform X several times on Monday, affecting users in Switzerland and elsewhere.
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The Swiss bank UBS was fined €75,000 (CHF71,410), the maximum penalty, in Paris on Monday for moral harassment by its French subsidiary of two whistleblowers.
Nearly 50 wolves killed in eastern Switzerland over five-month period
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Wildlife wardens in the eastern canton of Graubünden, together with hunters, shot 48 wolves between September 2024 and January 2025, authorities said on Monday.
Top Swiss court approves appeal against asbestos ruling
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The Glarus high court must re-examine an asbestos case, after the Federal Court approved the request for a revision of its decision by the family of Marcel Jann.
Swiss singer Zoë Më unveils song ‘Voyage’ for 2025 Eurovision contest
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Singer-songwriter Zoë Më, who will represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, unveiled her ballad Voyage on Monday.
Switzerland’s image at stake in current multilateralism crisis, says Geneva politician
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The Swiss government's reaction to the current crisis in multilateralism is not congruent with what is at stake for International Geneva, says the head of the Geneva Government.
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At the stroke of 4am on Monday, the street lights went out in Basel's city center for the carnival kick-off, known as Morgenstreich.
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Why Switzerland should be doing more to fight racism
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The UN has pointed its finger at a lack of clear Swiss legislation to tackle racism as well as the lack of enough accessible recourse for victims.
UN body concerned at rise of racist hate speech in Switzerland
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The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) sees a rise in racist hate speech and racial profiling in Switzerland.
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Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture, has written to the Swiss government to complain about the treatment of a violent repeat offender.
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