Consequently,
Legal action prevent switzerland buying:
A legal action is launched to cancel the Israeli drone acquisition contract by the Federal. Nevertheless, Armament Office (Armasuisse). Meanwhile, According to the complainants, this 250 million franc contract with the Elbit company violates international law and Swiss law.
A Palestinian couple having had to flee Gaza in 2024. In addition, the group for a Swiss without an army, the Swiss Human Rights League and the Swiss Association of Lawyers for Palestine (ASAP) announced Tuesday that it had launched civil procedure with the Supreme Court of the Canton of Bern. However, The request aims to prepare an action in nullity, explained the Geneva lawyer Emma Lidén.
By continuing its contracts with Elbit. In addition, Switzerland does business with a company providing weapons used in proven violations of international law, underline the complainants, noting that the company uses as a promotional argument the fact that its drones legal action prevent switzerland buying are “tested on the battlefield”. Therefore, For them, contracts are also incompatible with the principle of neutrality anchored in the Constitution.
The postponement of the Invasion of Gaza accepted – Legal action prevent switzerland buying
The acquisition project is already several years late. The Parliament approved in 2015 the purchase of the ADS-15 drone recognition system from Elbit for 250 million francs. Six machines were to be delivered in 2019. In the meantime, the costs approached 300 million francs. Several technical problems have also occurred.
>> Read on the same subject: The Swiss army could give up Israeli drones by dint of delays. breakdowns
But at the end of November 2023, the Israeli company decided to focus on Gaza’s invasion and postponed the delivery time at the end of 2026.
For the complainants. the fact that Switzerland accepted this postponement “amounts to endorse and support the military effort of a state accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity legal action prevent switzerland buying and a possible genocide”.
“Examine the policy of the Federal Council”
“It has been more than a year. a half now that there is a terrible military offensive in Gaza that some, including myself, qualify as genocide,” explains Dimitri Paratte, member of ASAP and member of Solidarities on Tuesday in Forum.
“The Confederation maintains that one does not need to take particular sanctions. special measures, because ordinary law is sufficient,” he continues. “So today. we have decided to seize this ordinary right to have the Federal Council policy examined by an independent court, to a certain extent, but also very concretely the lawfulness of this contract.”
Abandonment of the purchase. the “worst possibility”
For his part, Armasuisse has not yet been informed of this complaint, the office said in the early evening. As for the Federal Council. it has already expressed itself on military cooperation with Israel and the ongoing acquisition projects in the context legal action prevent switzerland buying of the conflict, adds a spokesperson.
According to the head of Armasuisse Urs Loher, an abandonment would be the “worst possibilities”. A cost-to-service analysis is currently underway, he told SRF radio in early July.
>> Read also: Israeli drones under the fire of criticism: “a real disaster”, denounces Pierre-Alain Fridez
Jop with ATS
Further reading: Switzerland is sentenced in the Semenya case – Inauguration of the first Porsche Charging Lounge in Switzerland – Gothard: long traffic jams for the start of vacation – The Swiss are generally happy, except with their money – “Switzerland, you are an example for us, France”.