LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The second court of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Lausanne, which deals with questions concerning foreigners, refused to send a Macedonian who has lived in Switzerland since the age of 7 back to “his” country. The court said in a public session that despite a 2010 vote by Swiss citizens in favour of sending home foreigners convicted of serious crimes it cannot do so until Parliament creates legislation covering this.
The court took into account that he has lived in Switzerland virtually all his life and that he has no previous record.
The November 2010 vote approved sending foreigners back to their countries automatically if convicted of serious crimes such as rape, murder and drug trafficking.
His case came up with two others, another Macedonian and a man from Cote d’Ivoire convicted of rape.
