Swiss administrator of Jihadi recruitment site fined
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland building
Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
A man from canton Vaud accused of acting as the admin for a website used to recruit people for the Jihadi cause has been ordered to pay fines in a ruling by the Swiss justice authorities.
This content was published on
2 minutes
RTS/ilj
The site has been named as Ansar-Ghuraba by Swiss public television RTSExternal link, which first broke the story of the site’s existence in 2014. Experts say that the site – which has been closed down for four years – was one of the most important recruiting platforms in the French-speaking region.
The man was ordered to pay a monetary penalty of CHF5,400 to the state, plus a fine of CHF8,000.
According to the OAG crimes ordinance of January 10, of which RTS was able to obtain a redacted version, propaganda videos and photos were circulating on the site between April 2013 and August 2014. It says that the site was used for recruiting but also for helping men and women go to regions controlled by Islamic State or Syrian al-Qaeda branch Jabhat al-Nusra.
The accused originally planned to appeal his conviction, but later decided against it, RTS reported. He contests the facts as outlined by the OAG, the man’s lawyer told RTS via email. His client maintains that the aim of the website was to act as a forum “for exchanges about Islam”, he said. When problematic content started appearing, his client was “overtaken by events at this point”.
The lawyer said that the man in question had never considered himself a sympathizer or member of a terror or criminal organisation.
Popular Stories
More
Foreign affairs
What Trump’s return or a new Harris administration would mean for Switzerland
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
COP29: Swiss NGOs call for strong financial support
This content was published on
Ahead of COP29, Swiss NGOs call for wealthy nations to pay $1,000 billion a year to help other countries solve climate problems.
Real Swiss wages likely to rise in 2025, says UBS bank
This content was published on
Higher wages and falling inflation are likely to boost Swiss purchasing power, which will be dragged back by rising health premiums.
This content was published on
Switzerland has a new tectonic map at a scale of 1:500,000, containing updates to geometry, distribution and nomenclature of the tectonic units.
This content was published on
Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri, known for his artworks using leftover food with dirty cutlery and crockery, has passed away in Vienna at the age of 94.
Climate change tipped to alter Swiss avalanche patterns by 2100
This content was published on
Climate change is expected to result in fewer avalanches overall in Switzerland but to increase the danger of wet snow avalanches by 2100.
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.
Read more
More
Switzerland refuses to repatriate its jihadists
This content was published on
The Swiss government has rejected calls to actively repatriate Islamic militants with Swiss nationality from Syria or Iraq.
This content was published on
A court in Switzerland has handed down suspended jail sentences for two teenagers who joined an Islamic militant group in Syria.
This content was published on
Switzerland is creating a pool of experts to help local authorities deal with suspected jihadist fighters returning from combat zones such as Syria.
This content was published on
Three people were arrested in an anti-terror swoop in the canton of Vaud last weekend, suspected of having links to a “criminal group”.
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.