Preventing militancy: Switzerland safest and most stable in Europe

Ahmed Adel

Switzerland seeks to preserve its identity and personality before Europe, as well as to export the image of it being safe and stable in terms of security conditions and the lack of terrorism. It has accomplished this through raids and arrests of elements affiliated with ISIS and al-Qaeda. On Friday, October 2, Swiss authorities announced that four people were arrested on suspicions of being associated with al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Federal prosecutor’s statement

The Swiss Federal Public Prosecution said in a statement that it conducted three raids in Fribourg as part of two criminal procedures and arrested four people, including three from Kosovo and the fourth from Macedonia.

It stated that three men and a woman were charged with “violating Article 2 of the federal law prohibiting the two terrorist organizations and belonging to, supporting or participating in a criminal organization.”

The prosecution revealed that, in August, it launched judicial procedures against two people, namely a 28-year-old Kosovar citizen and a 29-year-old Macedonian citizen. Then in September, it launched procedures against a 26-year-old Kosovar citizen and a 29-year-old dual Kosovar-Swiss citizen.

War on terror intensifies

The four persons were arrested and transferred to a detention center simultaneously due to the risks of collusion.

The prosecution refused to give further details, fearing of impeding the investigations.

With the intensification of the war on terror and jihadist and terrorist groups entering cyberspace as an arena for conflict with major powers since the beginning of the century, there has been talk in strategic studies circles of a “revolution in intelligence affairs” (RIA), which has transferred espionage, the second oldest profession in the world, from “dark alleys confused with secrecy” to the open cyberspace arena, where the annual report on surveillance in Switzerland revealed that the country resorted to using spyware against its citizens. The annual report, according to what was published by the official Swissinfo, showed that Switzerland used state-controlled surveillance programs known as GovWare during 2019. The Swiss government had licensed these programs in 2018 but did not announce their use at home on their own citizens. However, the Swiss authorities revealed that the criminal justice authorities and the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) used spyware against Swiss citizens, Sputnik reported on May 8, 2020.

Heavy penalties

In June 2020, Switzerland tightened penalties for terrorism-related crimes. Under an amendment to the Swiss Penal Code, anyone convicted of conscription, training or terrorism-related travel will be punished.

The National Council, the lower house of the Swiss parliament, approved the amendment, which was approved by the upper Council of States.

According to the amendment, anyone who joins a terrorist organization can be sentenced to 10 years in prison, which is the same punishment that is imposed on those convicted of belonging to a criminal organization.

The amendment provides a legal basis for investigative teams working across borders and allows for an expedited exchange of information with foreign authorities to prevent serious crimes.

In May 2019, Swiss intelligence announced that 66 people in the country posed a security threat on suspicions of engaging in terrorist activities or adopting terrorist ideas.

The Swiss authorities counted 92 jihadists who left the country as of 2001 to engage in conflicts as foreign terrorists, 16 of whom returned to the country, while 31 were killed.

Preventing militancy

In recent years, Switzerland has chosen to strengthen its legal and judicial arsenal in the area of ​​combating terrorism and preventing radicalization. After approval by the parliament on September 23, judges now have a law that is part of a comprehensive national plan to combat extremism. If the left-wing parties see this new law as an “authoritarian response” to the phenomenon of terrorism, then the right-wing parties praise it for its “firmness”.

The measures proposed in the national plan focus on early warning, reintegration of violators, and training of community figures such as teachers, imams and sports coaches. With this plan, the government aims to thwart propaganda that incites violent extremism, regardless of motives.