Switzerland

In our last CO Update we reported on a Swiss referendum on the future of the draft. On 22nd September, 73% of voters opted to maintain conscription.

This is the third time the country has voted down similar proposals by the Group for Switzerland Without an Army: Both a 1989 idea to abolish the army altogether, and a 2001 referendum to replace it with a peace corps, were also rejected.

Swiss citizens will have the chance to vote on whether conscription will be maintained on September 22nd. The Swiss government has already come out against the proposals.

In Switzerland, all men between the ages of 19 and 25 are liable for basic military training. The length of basic military training is 21 weeks, and 18 weeks in some exceptional circumstances.

New regulations make conscientious objection more difficult and less attractive

Nina Regli

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan arrived in Switzerland this year: a Swiss newspaper reported that Aegis Defence Service, one of the biggest private security companies, had opened a holding base in Basel. Aegis Defence Service, based primarily in London, employs 20,000 mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan who typically work on contract for the American defence ministry.

War Resisters' International's Swiss section GSoA (Group for a Switzerland without Army) has launched a new campaign for a referendum to abolish conscription in Switzerland. The campaign is aimed at changing article 59 of the Swiss constitution, which is the legal basis for conscription in the country. According to the present version of paragraph 1 of the article, "Every Swiss man is required to do military service.

On November 29, 2009, the Swiss people had the opportunity to vote to stop the export of arms. 31.8 % of the electorate decided to say yes to our proposition to ban all arms exports. This result is what we expected during the last months, but it’s less than what we hoped for after the latest polls.

Switzerland will vote on a constitutional amendment to ban all exports of arms on November 29. The Swiss electorate still hovers between its ideal of peaceful neutrality and the economic interests of the military industry.

The popular initiative is an instrument of the direct democracy in Switzerland. If 100,000 people with voting right sign a political request, the authorities are obliged to effect a referendum, the result of which is binding for the government.

19 August 2009

Substitute service still 1.5 times longer than military service

On 1 April 2009, Switzerland finally abolished the examination of the conscience of applicants for conscientious objection. Before 1 April 2009, a personal interview took place with a commission. Its members were civilians who had been selected and appointed by the Ministry. If the application is rejected, there is a right of appeal to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Those who applied before 1 April 2009, but have not been recognised by 31 March 2009, will be recognised without personal interview.

Submission to the 95th Session of the Human Rights Committee: March 2009 Summary

CPTI wishes to draw three concerns to the attention of the Committee.

The
first is that the Law on Civilian Service, while excellent in some
respects, does not grant automatic recognition to those who declare a
conscientious objection to military but requires them to convince a
commission regarding the nature of their objections before permitting
them to opt for civilian rather than military service, and sets a
duration for civilian service which appears to be discriminat

CCPR/C/79/Add.70
8 November 1996

(...)

10. The Committee welcomes the entry into force of the Civilian Service Act, which has introduced a civil procedure for determining cases of conscientious objection.

(...)

Source: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,CHE,,3ae6b0328,0.html