Two Islamic State sympathisers sentenced

Excerpts of the Attorney General's criminal order were published by Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag on Sunday. Keystone

The Swiss Attorney General’s Office has sentenced two Islamic State sympathisers this year, including the moderator of a large jihadist online forum.

The former moderator is a 34-year-old Bosnian, whose online platform, based in French-speaking Switzerland, included calls to kill infidels and videos depicting decapitations.

Between 2011 and 2012, the man published 1,173 messages and opened over 70 discussions, of which 30 concerned the actions of those engaged in various jihadist fronts.

The Swiss Attorney General’s criminal order stated that the images and videos showed dead bodies and torture and were “likely to spread terror”.

The man was sentenced in April to a fine of CHF 1,000 ($1,012) for supporting a criminal organisation, as well as a second fine with a suspended sentence.

The other sympathiser is a 35-year-old Tunisian man, who posted pro-Islamic State material on his Facebook page between 2015 and 2016, including an Islamic State banner as his cover photo. He expressed his welcoming of the news of the Paris terror attacks in November 2015, calling them “legitimate”.

He was fined CHF 500 in late September, and given a six month suspended custodial sentence.