Human rights in Switzerland

Human rights in Switzerland

Human rights are comprehensively guaranteed in Switzerland, one of Europe's oldest democracies. Together with other European states, Switzerland is often at or near the head in international civil liberties and political rights western based rankings. [See Freedom House [http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=15&year=2005 ranking, 2005] . Switzerland received the highest possible grade, 1, in both political rights and civil liberties. See also Switzerland's entry in List of indices of freedom.]

As with many other Western states, Amnesty International a western based organisation, reports some cases of alleged abuse, mostly involving the use of excessive force by the Swiss police of some cantons against foreigners. Amnesty's 2005 report [See "References".] says (of the Swiss police) that " [t] here were regular reports of ill-treatment, often accompanied by racist abuse. Police accountability mechanisms were unsatisfactory and such abuses were often committed with impunity."

Switzerland is signatory to all relevant international human rights instruments. It is also the depositary state of the Geneva Conventions and the place where several human rights-related NGOs were established or headquarters, including the Red Cross. The United Nations Human Rights Council, of which Switzerland is a member and which it was instrumental in establishing, [Swissinfo, [http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=6521016 Swiss hold out hope for UN human rights body] , March 25, 2006] has its seat in Geneva. Respect for human rights and the promotion of democracy is also one of the five official foreign policy goals of Switzerland. [See the policy linked to under "References".]

See also

* Fundamental Rights in the Swiss Federal Constitution

References

* Human Rights Watch [http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=europe&c=switze webpage on Switzerland]
* Amnesty International [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/che-summary-eng annual report on Switzerland, 2005] , [http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/che-summary-eng 2006] , [http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Europe-and-Central-Asia/Switzerland 2007]
* U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61678.htm on Switzerland, 2005]
* IFEX: [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/1086/ Freedom of expression in Switzerland]
*Privacy International: [http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/phr2003/countries/switzerland.htm Privacy and Human Rights 2003: Switzerland]
* [http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/e/home/foreign/humsec/humrig.html Human rights policy] of the Swiss federal government

External links

* [http://www.humanrights.ch/home/en/News/Switzerland/idart_4198-content.html humanrights.ch] , a Swiss human rights NGO

Footnotes


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