Entry bans to Switzerland tripled in 2016

According to the Swiss Federal Office of Police, the increase in entry bans is connected to conflicts in the Middle East. Keystone

According to the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), Switzerland had issued 97 entry bans by the end of September, compared to 28 during all of 2015. Most of these bans were linked to jihadism.

Fedpol spokeswoman Lulzana Musliu told Swiss news agency ATS that the bans affect in particular travellers suspected of being linked to jihadism, confirming a report published Sunday in the Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag. 

The rise in entry bans to Switzerland can be explained primarily by the intensity of wars and civil conflicts in the Middle East.

Musliu said that people are banned who belong to a terrorist organisation such as the Islamic State, and who intend to return to Europe, but she emphasised that this does not necessarily mean that they have already returned.

Bans may be issued against people who represent a threat to security, either within or outside of Switzerland, in the form of terrorism, violent extremism or organised crime. The bans can last anywhere from a few days to an unlimited period of time.

Fedpol works closely with Switzerland’s Federal Intelligence Service.