The figure for sentenced cases was updated in October 2024 as per the official request to reflect the changes in the official statistics due to more cases added once judgements became legally binding.
In 2020, Article 261bis of the Criminal Code of Switzerland, which provides, among others, for offences of bias-motivated violence committed in public, was amended by extending the list of protected characteristics with sexual orientation. The amendment entered into force in July 2020.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published relevant recommendations in its "Concluding observations on the combined tenth to twelfth reports of Switzerland" [in French].
ODIHR recognizes Switzerland's efforts in reporting on hate crime regularly to ODIHR. However, based on the available information, it observes that Switzerland’s hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Switzerland would benefit from reviewing the existing legal framework in order to ensure that bias motivations are effectively acknowledged and appropriate penalties can be imposed on the perpetrators.
ODIHR recalls that in the Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States have agreed to a definition of hate crimes shared by all OSCE participating States. They have also committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. To that end, hate crimes need to be distinguished throughout the recording and data collection process from incitement to hatred and other hate speech crimes. In the Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, participating States have also committed to enacting specific, tailored legislation to combat hate crimes, providing for effective penalties that take into account the gravity of such crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support Switzerland in meeting its relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance, including further resources aimed at addressing hate crime legislation and providing tailored legislative advice.
In addition to incidents summarized below, this graph includes the following numbers of hate incidents reported as statistics: 16 reported by SIG; and 3 reported by Kantor Center.