Foreigner jailed for murder allowed to stay in Switzerland

The Federal Court in Lausanne overruled the judicial authorities of Schaffhausen Keystone

The Federal Supreme Court has ruled that a Macedonian man who served jail time for murder must be given back his residence permit in Switzerland.

The judges ruled that the man, who served a prison sentence in Macedonia for murder, should be allowed to re-join his wife and their child in Switzerland, according to a court statement published on Friday. They deemed that the man posed no security risk and that it was in the family’s interest to be re-united, as the 37-year-old wife was well integrated and was not dependent on welfare. 

The man was arrested in 2011 based on an international arrest warrant and deported to the Balkan country. Four years ago, he was released and applied to join his family. But his request was thrown out by the cantonal authorities of Schaffhausen. 

The decision by the Federal Court comes despite a decision by Swiss voters in 2010 to expel any foreigner who commits a serious crime or is found guilty of cheating on welfare. 

+ Read more about the clampdown on foreigners who commit crimes

The rightwing Swiss People’s Party had forced a nationwide vote on this initiative after collecting more than 210,000 signatures – more than twice as many as required.