- Human rights in Switzerland
Human rights are comprehensively guaranteed in
Switzerland , one of Europe's oldest democracies. Together with other European states, Switzerland is often at or near the head in internationalcivil liberties and political rights western based rankings. [SeeFreedom House [http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=15&year=2005 ranking, 2005] . Switzerland received the highest possible grade, 1, in bothpolitical rights andcivil liberties . See also Switzerland's entry inList of indices of freedom .]As with many other Western states,
Amnesty International a western based organisation, reports some cases of alleged abuse, mostly involving the use ofexcessive force by the Swiss police of some cantons against foreigners. Amnesty's 2005 report [See "References".] says (of the Swiss police) that " [t] here were regular reports of ill-treatment, often accompanied by racist abuse.Police accountability mechanisms were unsatisfactory and such abuses were often committed withimpunity ."Switzerland is signatory to all relevant
international human rights instruments . It is also the depositary state of theGeneva Conventions and the place where several human rights-related NGOs were established or headquarters, including theRed Cross . TheUnited Nations Human Rights Council , of which Switzerland is a member and which it was instrumental in establishing, [Swissinfo , [http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=6521016 Swiss hold out hope for UN human rights body] , March 25, 2006] has its seat inGeneva . Respect for human rights and the promotion of democracy is also one of the five official foreign policy goals of Switzerland. [See the policy linked to under "References".]See also
* Fundamental Rights in the Swiss Federal Constitution
References
*
Human Rights Watch [http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=europe&c=switze webpage on Switzerland]
*Amnesty International [http://web.amnesty.org/report2005/che-summary-eng annual report on Switzerland, 2005] , [http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/che-summary-eng 2006] , [http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Europe-and-Central-Asia/Switzerland 2007]
*U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61678.htm on Switzerland, 2005]
* IFEX: [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/1086/ Freedom of expression in Switzerland]
*Privacy International : [http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/phr2003/countries/switzerland.htm Privacy and Human Rights 2003: Switzerland]
* [http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/e/home/foreign/humsec/humrig.html Human rights policy] of theSwiss federal government External links
* [http://www.humanrights.ch/home/en/News/Switzerland/idart_4198-content.html humanrights.ch] , a Swiss human rights
NGO Footnotes
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.