Switzerland: Asylum and immigration (1)
01 January 1991
Switzerland: Asylum and immigration
artdoc April=1995
Tamil repatriation programme cause for concern
Several non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty
International and the Swiss Red Cross, voiced concern at a UNHCR
consultation meeting in June on Switzerland's plans to deport
Tamil refugees back to Sri Lanka. The UNHCR says that it is
safe to return refugees to Colombo, a point of view disputed by
the NGO's who say that 15,000 Tamils have been arrested in
Colombo following the assassination of President Premadasa in May
1993. Over 1,000 Tamils remain in custody and arrests continue
at the rate of 2,000 a month.
The Swiss Refugee Council is particularly concerned that the
UNHCR is not involved actively in monitoring the return of the
refugees to Sri Lanka and that a Sri Lankan governmental
assurance that UNHCR could have access to returnees, was not
legally binding (News bulletin of the Tamil Information Centre,
June/July 1994).
Police
Swiss border police accused of assaulting asylum-seeker
Regional border control authorities - answerable to the military
- have ordered an inquiry into allegations of assault made by a
29-year-old asylum-seeker. Alossa Libebe says that the assault
happened on 18 June at the border crossing point of Puplinge. He
was sitting near the border point, not trying to cross, when two
border guards approached and asked to see his papers. Although
the papers were in perfect order, the border guards demanded that
Mr Libebe accompany them to the police station. When he refused,
they set a dog on him. At Moillesulaz police station Mr Libebe
says he was taken to a cell and assaulted.
Two medical certificates confirm injuries including a wound and
swelling to his left elbow resulting from a dog bite. Another
doctor, who attended him at the station, was asked if Mr. Libebe
appeared dangerous. `Yes', said the doctor, `at least, according
to what the officers were saying.' The border police are
contesting Mr Libebe's claim that he was assaulted, although they
do not deny that he was bitten by a dog. According to the
authorities, the inquiry will investigate whether Mr. Libebe
showed defiance to the authorities (Tribune 28.6.94).
Councillors witness police assault
Two police officers are under investigation after two cantonal
councillors from Zurich witnessed them violently arrest an
Albanian man outside a council building.
The councillors, Jacqueline Fehr and Verena Anliker, witnessed
the man surrender to the police after a chase. Even though he was
not attempting to resist arrest, the police pounced on him,
smashing his head against the pavement, and kneeing him in the
stomach. The councillors' protests went unheeded.
Later that evening, Verena Anliker attempted to phone the
police station to make a complaint, hopefully to a superior
officer. Her complaint was passed on to one of the officers
involved in the arrest. He phoned her back, refusing to give the
name of a higher-ranking officer on the grounds that she would
not give an accurate version of the incident and in any case it
was a perfectly legitimate way to arrest an Albanian.
The police now claim that the man was arrested on suspicion of
a drugs offence. But a file on his arrest confirms that no drugs
were found on him and he was released without charge (Tages-
anzeiger 14.7.94).
Bern police monitoring group formed
Campaigners have formed an association in Bern to stop what they
describe as `widespread abuse of police powers'. The association,
which has set up its own telephone hot-line, has produced a
pamphlet explaining one's rights if stopped by the police
(Tribune 12.7.94).
IRR European Race Audit, Bulletin no 11, December 1994. Contact:
Liz Fekete, Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London
WC1X 9HS. Tel: 0171 837 0041