Kurds protest in front of the Swiss parliament in 2015 against Turkey's treatment of the Kurds
Keystone
The Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is investigating a Turk of Kurdish descent who is said to have spied on compatriots in Switzerland and denounced them to the Turkish government. One of the men who was reported is said to have been arrested in Turkey.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
André Marty, head of information at the OAGExternal link, on Saturday confirmed information from the Tages-AnzeigerExternal link newspaper at the request of the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA that the OAG had opened criminal proceedings against a person based on suspicions of the intelligence services.
The OAG did not provide any further information on the case. The presumption of innocence applies.
According to the newspaper, the suspect is a Turk of Kurdish descent who has been living as a refugee in Switzerland for years. He is said to have denounced a man from canton Bern for working for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organisation in Turkey but not in Switzerland. The man was arrested in March as he entered Turkey for a wedding.
The OAG is only at the beginning of its investigations against the alleged informer, according to the Tages-Anzeiger. In order to press ahead with the proceedings, it needs the formal permission of the Swiss government.
This, the paper said, puts the government in a dilemma: authorising the investigation will cause diplomatic waves with Turkey; not authorising it will open the government to accusations that it tolerates spying by foreign states on Swiss soil.
More
More
Turkey rejects spying allegations in Switzerland
This content was published on
Ilhan Saygili said he was sure that “no such activities were conducted within the realm of our embassy”, in an interview with Swiss public television, SRF, on Wednesday. He added that he would be willing to cooperate with the criminal probe being carried out by the Federal Prosecutors Office into the allegations if there was…
Swiss political class divided over reform of EU asylum pact
This content was published on
As a result of the EU's Migration and Asylum Pact, Switzerland must adapt five laws linked to the Schengen/Dublin agreements.
AI can reduce the number of animals needed for research
This content was published on
Swiss researchers have developed a new, AI-supported method that analyses the behaviour of mice in the laboratory more efficiently.
Geneva Conventions conference on Middle East scheduled for March 2025
This content was published on
The conference on the Middle East of the 196 States party to the Geneva Conventions, organised by Switzerland, will take place in Geneva in March.
Public protests continue in Swiss cities against Turkey
This content was published on
Several hundred people have again marched in Swiss cities to protest against Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish regions in Syria.
Swiss foreign minister criticises Turkish offensive in Syria
This content was published on
Ignazio Cassis has criticised the Turkish military operation in northern Syria calling it a flagrant violation of international law.
This content was published on
President Erdogan has demanded compensation from Blick, and the University of Zurich is keeping an eye out for Turkish spies.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.