Will Switzerland finally criminalize torture?

Will Switzerland finally criminalize torture?👁️‍🗨️

On October 30–31, the Legal Affairs Committee of the National Council (CAJ-N) will decide whether to move forward with a parliamentary initiative to explicitly criminalize torture in Swiss law.

This is more than a legal technicality — it’s a matter of principle and international credibility. Despite being a long-standing advocate in the global fight against torture, Switzerland currently lacks a specific criminal provision addressing it. This gap has been repeatedly criticized by the UN and other international bodies for nearly three decades.
Without a clear legal basis, foreign perpetrators present in Switzerland cannot be prosecuted. Moreover, recent reports of abuses in asylum centers, detention facilities and controversial police interventions remind us that no country is immune.
The signatory organisations include: ACAT-Switzerland; Amnesty International; Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT); Civitas Maxima; International Commission of Jurists – Swiss Section (ICJ-Switzerland); World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT); TRIAL International.
A press kit compiled by ACAT-Switzerland is available to accompany this press release. It provides references and key points on the crime of torture and includes legal analyses, historical context, documented cases, key figures and ready-to-use references.
All of this can be found on the OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture) website.

A specific legal norm would not only close this legal loophole but also strengthen prevention, accountability and protection, for victims and for state agents.

⚖️ This is a pivotal moment. A clear signal in favor of human rights and the rule of law is long overdue.