After the terrorist attack in Zurich: politicians call for stricter juvenile justice

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It was a despicable act the likes of which Switzerland hardly knows. On Saturday, a 15-year-old stabbed an Orthodox Jew (50) in Zurich with a knife, seriously injuring him.

There was no personal connection between the perpetrator and his victim. “Someone was stabbed solely because of his religious beliefs,” said Mario Fehr (65, independent), Zurich’s security director, at a press conference organized at short notice on Monday. A terrorist act must therefore be assumed. A confession video had emerged earlier.

“Governments are reaching their limits”

The suspected perpetrator is currently in custody and the investigation is ongoing. SVP Council Member Martina Bircher (39) is now calling for longer prison sentences to be made possible for young criminals. “With the current juvenile criminal law and youth measures, the authorities are quickly reaching their limits,” she tells 20 Minutes. The legal framework needs to be changed so that courts can impose stricter penalties commensurate with the crime for precisely these crimes.

This discussion was initiated by Safety Director Fehr. He said at the media conference on Monday that there should be a discussion about whether the maximum sentence for young people should be increased. Minors can be imprisoned for a maximum of four years. Because the perpetrator is not yet 16 years old, a maximum prison sentence of one year can be imposed. However, this can be postponed by placing perpetrators in an institution. Theoretically, such a protection measure can be extended until the person reaches the age of 25 if a risk situation still exists.

Jositsch is also in favor of tightening this up

This brings him into line with the Zurich SP Council of States and criminal law professor Daniel Jositsch (58). He had proposed years ago to increase the penalty for individual violations. After the terrible act in Zurich, he told Blick that he stuck to this opinion on principle.

However, he points out that the latest crime probably could not have been prevented by stricter juvenile justice. (she)

Source:Blick