BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss government has recalled its ambassador to Syria for consultations, to send a strong signal to Damascus that Bern cannot accept the Syrian government’s violence against its citizens and the fact it has ignored international appeals to stop.
The recall falls short of a rupture in international relations, Bern noted in a statement issued Thursday 18 August:
“Due to the fact that the numerous calls from the international community to end the violence have been ignored, the FDFA has decided to recall the Swiss Ambassador in Syria to Bern for consultations. This decision was made because Switzerland cannot tolerate the systematic human rights violations perpetrated by the Syrian security forces against the civilian population. In view of its humanitarian tradition, Switzerland wishes to send a strong signal to Damascus. The recall of the Swiss Ambassador in Damascus is not, however, equivalent to a rupture of diplomatic relations. The Swiss Embassy in Damascus remains open and fully operational.”
The Federal Council approved sanctions against Syria 18 May, in line with those of the European Union, and it extended these 24 May and again this week, 17 August. These include freezing assets of government officials and their entourages, travel bans and restrictions on arms exports. Bern is also demanding that Syria give foreign journalists access to the country, to report on events there.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A 12-year-old girl in the Geneva area was forced to commit fellatio by a group of youths, two of whom she knew from school, last Friday 4 February, and the family has pressed charges, reports the Tribune de Geneve.
The girl and a friend were returning from a party when they were stopped by the boys and after some discussion, the assault reportedly took place. The friend called for help without success, it appears. The incident was not reported by the traumatized girl to her parents until an older sister discovered it after the weekend, when police and the school were notified. The newspaper says that according to the older sister the boys had threatened the girls to remain silent, but they had then boasted about the incident to others.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – In the third such incident in two years, a group of Swiss students have been arrested for violence while on a school trip abroad. Four young men, age 18, were arrested by police in Berlin, Germany after knocking down a couple and stealing money and a cell phone from them.
Police have not provided the name of their school in Bern.
The incident, which left the couple with minor injuries, took place Friday morning 4 February in the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood in Berlin. The 38-year-old man was thrown to the ground and the 27-year-old woman with him also fell.
Similar incidents occured in Munich in 2009 and in Rome in 2010.
Munich, Germany (GenevaLunch) - Three Zurich youths who were in Munich, Germany on a school trip in July 2010 were handed sentences Monday 22 November, from 2 years 7 months to 7 years, on various charges ranging from assault to attempted murder. They were sentenced for attacking five men in Munich 1 July while they were on a school trip to Germany. One of them later explained their actions by saying they were looking for a “little fun”, according to swissinfo. Few details about the trial have been made public because the youths are minors.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Geneva’s tourism office and political authorities are taking steps to calm the situation and in particular relations with Saudi Arabia after Geneva police confirmed 10 August that a Saudi Arabian man was beaten unconscious in Geneva and his credit cards stolen three weeks ago. Police spokesperson Jean-Philippe Brandt confirmed the news on Swiss radio station RSR. The confirmation followed strongly worded statements from Saudi Arabia’s consul general Nabil Mohamed Al-Saleh that police in Geneva have not done their job, accusations that he repeated Tuesday morning 11 August in an interview with Fribourg newspaper La Liberté. Other representatives of the Arab community in Geneva nevertheless said the situation must be kept in perspective, that Geneva does a good job of welcoming Arab tourists.
Basel and Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Two young men, ages 20 and 23, are in critical condition following attacks, one in Basel and the other in Zurich, in the early hours of Sunday. In addition, police in Zurich report a series of violent incidents, only some of which appear to be possibly related. Several people were injured in the string of aggressive incidents, at a level not often seen in Switzerland.
