Proceedings against Erdogan’s alleged informants in Switzerland are stalled

He sent 59 messages to the Turkish secret service, including via Whatsapp, and also called the police several times. The Kurd is said to have charged compatriots living in Switzerland and alleged sympathizers of the Kurdistan Workers Party PKK for the autocratic regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The federal prosecutor’s office accuses a Turkish citizen living in the canton of Bern. Last April, she accused him of political intelligence. After the coup attempt in the summer of 2016 by parts of the army, Erdogan acted rigorously against opponents of the regime. Politicians warned that his long arm would also reach Switzerland.

Whether and when a political intelligence trial will take place is open. Last July, the criminal division of the Federal Criminal Court suspended the case against the Kurds. The federal prosecutor’s office filed a complaint regarding the acceleration requirement. But in early December, the Complaints Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court upheld the suspension. The case against two other Turks, who allegedly spied on the government-critical compatriots at the University of Zurich in early 2017, has also been blocked because the federal prosecutor’s office does not know where the suspects are currently.

The case against the Kurds is about the Ask whether his mobile phone can be evaluated or not. The man worked in a pizzeria in Biel. His former boss discovered he could act as a spy. On the evening of May 7, 2019, he and five other Kurds, all PKK supporters, allegedly ruthlessly attacked the alleged traitor. On December 24, 2021, the prosecutor’s office of the Bernese Jura-Zealand regional court filed an indictment against four of them on suspicion of deprivation of liberty, coercion and simple bodily harm. One person involved in the incident is on the run, another could not be identified.

According to the indictment, the alleged perpetrators harassed their victim with punches and kicks. They held it for more than six hours – the “Sonntags-Zeitung” spoke of “torture cellar” – and twice locked it barefoot in the freezer of the pizzeria for about ten minutes. The public prosecutor suspects the suspects of forcing their victim to sit down at a previously provided table with chairs and hand over their mobile phone, wallet and keys. The suspects found incriminating cell phone chats and conducted their interrogation about the espionage activity. During the interrogation, they stated that he handed over the mobile phone without any problems. It’s one word against another.

On May 17, 2019, one of the defendants reported that the Kurds were kept in the basement for political intelligence. On the same day, he filed a complaint against his tormentors – and agreed to the analysis of his mobile phone. The federal prosecutor’s office takes the position that the alleged spy did this with “full knowledge of the investigations conducted”. The Appeals Chamber of the Criminal Court now refutes that he was present at the May 18 interrogation heard as an information provider and not as a defendant been – and confirms the suspension. it holds First of all, the regional court had to clarify whether or not the mobile phone could be used as evidencebecause it may have been taken from him by force and threats. In addition, it is ensured that the judgments in the various proceedings do not contradict each other. Evidence collected illegally cannot be used unless it is essential to solving serious crimes.

Agents are smuggled in through asylum applications

In the past 15 years, only 4 people have been convicted of political intelligence in Switzerland. This also has to do with the fact that the spies are often disguised as diplomats and enjoy diplomatic immunity. there is our country “hardly affected by espionage in several respects”., according to the federal intelligence service in a situation report. Foreign secret services repeatedly act against their own compatriots in Switzerland. They primarily target critics of the regime, members of the opposition or members of ethnic and religious minorities. They are controlled, threatened and intimidated. According to the news service, the spies hired act out of “belief, fear or self-interest” and are lured with things like money or medical services. States often smuggle their agents into Switzerland on the asylum route.

With regard to Turkey, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Switzerland is concerned about the human rights situation and regularly calls on the state to respect political rights and freedom of expression. Switzerland is also concerned about “the political turn that some court decisions are taking”. She reminded Turkey of the need to ensure the independence of the judiciary. Meanwhile, after the coup attempt, the number of asylum applications from Turkish nationals has steadily increased. At the end of November last year, more than 4,000 people had applied for asylum. Even more applications are currently only coming from Afghans.