denial of medical treatment. The government couples the right to equal marriage, including commissioned internal and external access to sperm donation for lesbian 5 investigations, which found disproportionate couples. use of force in at least three out of seven CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY cases investigated. The external investigation recommended reviewing the privatization of After the rejection of the Responsible security services, but failed to clearly Business Initiative by a majority of cantons in recommend protection for whistleblowers and 2020, the parliament adopted a much the creation of an independent complaints weaker counter-proposal focusing mainly on mechanism.2 non-financial reporting. The legislation, due CHILDREN’S RIGHTS to enter into force in January 2022, was The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child criticized by civil society and looked unlikely found that Switzerland violated 10 different to fully guarantee respect for human rights by 6 articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Swiss companies. Child when it deported a mother and her son 3 RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL to Bulgaria. IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS In June, the country voted in favour of a new counter-terrorism law providing Federal In September, parliament passed a law Police with far-reaching powers, mostly regulating the export of arms. It prohibits without prior judicial control and due process transfers to States involved in internal armed guarantees. The measures – including use of conflict and to those that seriously and foot shackles, no-contact orders, zone bans systematically violated human rights. and preventive house arrest – risked violating FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY the right to liberty and security of the person, the right to a fair trial and the rights of On 1 April, police cleared a protest camp children. Many of the measures could be near Eclépens. Of 150 environmental applied to children from 12 years of age.7 activists temporarily arrested, 43 were RIGHT TO PRIVACY charged. The imposition of prison sentences on some protesters following acts of civil In a welcome development for the protection disobedience unduly restricted their rights to of the right to privacy, in November, motions freedom of expression, conscience and were introduced in the local parliaments of 4 peaceful assembly. Zurich and Lausanne calling for a ban on the use of facial recognition technologies.8 DISCRIMINATION WOMENS’ RIGHTS 1. Switzerland: “I ask that they treat asylum seekers like human Parliament continued revising the criminal beings” – Human rights violations in Swiss federal asylum centres code provisions on rape. The public (EUR 43/4226/2021) 19 May consultation process showed an 2. “Switzerland: Moving Forward to Fight Violence in Federal Asylum unprecedented mobilization for a new rape Centres”, 18 October (French and German only) law based on consent. 3. “Children’s Rights: Switzerland criticized by UN Committee”, 21 In March, a referendum seeking to ban full- December (French and German only) face veils was accepted by a narrow margin, 4. “Switzerland: Prison sentences against environmental HRDs: despite concerns that the ban discriminated disproportionate and not confirming with human rights law”, 8 against a single religious community and September (French and German only) violated women’s rights, freedom of 5. “Switzerland: A milestone for equality”, 26 September (French and expression and religion. German only) 6. “Switzerland: Instructions for looking the other way”, 1 July (French LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS and German only) In a September referendum, a large majority of the population agreed to grant same-sex Amnesty International Report 2021/22 352