Neutrality trumps Navalny in measured Swiss criticism of Russia 

Spontaneous memorial events were held in Switzerland. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / MARTIAL TREZZINI

The Swiss government responded to the death of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison with restraint. This has provoked criticism at home but left the door open to peacemaking.  

As the world woke up to news of Navalny’s death in a Russian prison, world leaders expressed strong condemnation of Russia and held Russian President Vladimir Putin directly responsible.  

“What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality,” American President Joe Biden said to reporters on February 16. 

“In today’s Russia, free spirits are sent to the Gulag and condemned to death. Anger and indignation,” French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X.  

“Putin should be accountable for what has happened – no one should doubt the dreadful nature of his regime,” United Kingdom’s Foreign Minister David Cameron posted on X.  

The Swiss government also expressed its dismay on X but stopped short of mentioning Putin, let alone holding him responsible. 

“Switzerland is appalled by the death of Alexei Navalny, an exemplary defender of democracy and fundamental rights. It awaits an investigation into the cause of his death. Our condolences and thoughts are with his family,” posted the Swiss foreign ministry in French. 

La Suisse est consternée par le décès d'Alexei Navalny, un défenseur exemplaire de la démocratie et des droits fondamentaux. Elle attend qu’une enquête soit ouverte sur les causes de sa mort. Nos condoléances et nos pensées à sa famille.

— EDA – DFAE (@EDA_DFAE) February 16, 2024External link

It is also worth noting that the official response came neither from the Swiss President Viola Amherd nor Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, but from a lower administrative level. Just a couple of years ago, former Swiss State Secretary Livia Leu received Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov in Bern for a high-level dialogueExternal link where the issue of Navalny’s detention was specifically raised. Things have gone from bad to worse since then.

Too much restraint? 

The restrained Swiss official reaction did not go down well with human rights defenders and some left-wing politicians.  

“Compared to other countries, the foreign ministry’s reaction is remarkably tame and, in our eyes, shameful,” said Beat Gerber, spokesperson for the Swiss section of Amnesty International, in the CH Media newspapers.  

Parliamentarian Nicolas Walder of the Green Party also deemed the official reaction to be inadequate. 

“Unfortunately, the foreign ministry’s communication is rarely particularly courageous,” he told the papers. “But they should at least clearly state the circumstances of Navalny’s death and speak out forcefully in favour of the respect of human rights.” 

Fellow parliamentarian Corina Gredig of the Liberal Greens expressed her astonishment in the papers that the foreign ministry did not at least refer to the criticism of Navalny’s trial and detention conditions at the time of his death. 

When contacted, the foreign ministry told SWI swissinfo.ch by email that Switzerland has denounced the arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of Alexei Navalny on several occasions in the past. 

“Switzerland demands that the circumstances surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny be fully investigated. It expects an investigation to be opened into the causes of his death,” wrote spokesperson Pierre-Alain Eltschinger. 

Neutral nuance

“Switzerland has never been at the forefront when it comes to being critical of Russia and hence it is not out of character for the Swiss government to hold back a bit. Besides there is already so much criticism out there,” Jussi Hanhimäki, professor of International History and Politics and the Graduate Institute in Geneva, told SWI.  

According to Hanhimäki, being critical wouldn’t make much difference anyway as nobody outside Switzerland would notice. “It would be a voice lost in the wilderness.” 

Then there is a question of the lack of information on the exact circumstances surrounding Navalny’s death in prison. It could be one of the reasons why Switzerland emphasised the need for an investigation instead of pointing fingers. 

“The Swiss don’t want to judge without knowing all the facts. But it is a kind of cop-out as we’ll never really know the facts behind Navalny’s death,” says Hanhimäki.  

The lack of factual details did not prevent other neutral countries taking a strong stand against Putin. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström summoned Russia’s ambassador on February 19 and called on the European Union to consider new sanctions against Russia. 

“Vladimir Putin and his murderous regime bear responsibility for this,” said Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in a post on X. His harsh choice of words even provoked a protest from the Russian embassy in Vienna.  

“In regard to the insulting statements made by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen against Russia and the Russian leadership, the embassy has lodged a strong protest with the Austrian Foreign Ministry. In particular, the note verbale points out that such outrageous rhetoric is inadmissible,” the embassy told the Russian news agency TASS.  

So, why have these two neutral countries felt free to pin the blame on Putin while Switzerland did not mention his name? 

“Sweden is waiting to join NATO and has always been traditionally more critical about Russian policy. Austria is closer to the Swiss line but its neutrality only dates back to the 1950s,” says Hanhimäki. 

Good offices

Exercising restraint could also help in mending relations with Russia which no longer sees Switzerland as a neutral player after it followed the EU’s lead in imposing sanctions as a result of the war in Ukraine. The Alpine nation recently hosted Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, where he presented his ten-point peace plan. Zelensky also used the occasion to ask Switzerland to organise a peace summit. 

Russia was conspicuous by its absence and the platform given to Zelensky in Davos prompted Russian ambassador Sergei Garmonin to criticise Switzerland in the media, saying the country consistently supported the “anti-Russian line of the collective West”. He warned that by showing solidarity with Ukraine it had “lost its role as an impartial international mediator” and that Swiss mediation is therefore “out of the question”. 

“Switzerland is not going be a traditional mediator but at least it has relations with both sides. It is easier for Switzerland to be involved in peacemaking compared to many other European countries. The door may not be fully open but at least it is open a crack,” says Hanhimäki. 

According to the professor, Switzerland’s muted response to the death of Navalny could be an attempt to win back some of the lost lustre of its good offices.   

“Some of it has to do with thinking ahead about being a host for peace talks and the need for an official Russian representative to be present,” says Hanhimäki. 

However, he warns not to expect a big peace conference in Geneva soon that will solve all problems. 

“The two parties are so far apart that any kind of mediation will be a long-drawn process with incremental steps. A pause in Russia-Ukraine hostilities would be a good first step,” he says. 

Edited by Balz Rigendinger/dos