A view of the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.
Keystone/Alessandro Crinari
The Swiss Federal Criminal Court today sentenced two sisters living in the canton of Vaud to suspended prison terms for having travelled, along with a minor son belonging to one of them, to Syria in 2015 to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.
This content was published on
May 24, 2024 – 11:42
The Federal Criminal Court found the women guilty of violating the Swiss federal law banning Al-Qaida and IS groups, and sentenced the younger of the sisters, now 51, to an 18 month sentence and the older, age 54, to a 14 month sentence. Both sentences are suspended for three years.
The younger sister had also taken her minor son to join IS in November 2014, but returned to Switzerland after having failed to cross the border between Turkey and Syria.
+Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
Separated after arrival
On February 3, 2015, the sisters set out together with the underage boy and managed to enter Syria. Subsequently, in a town controlled by IS, they were housed in a women’s shelter and separated from the young boy. The boy was taken to a men’s home.
>subscribe to get the top news stories directly in your inbox
When the two sisters expressed their wish to return to Switzerland after three days, they were suspected of espionage. They were allowed to leave the country towards the end of March 2015. Between June 2015 and February 2016, the younger sister sent a total of CHF6,300 ($6,900) to IS from Switzerland.
+How the heightened IS terror threat affects Switzerland
The sentence published today does not mention plans to attack the United Nations (UN and pride parades, an LGBTQ+ festival, in Zurich and Bern, as some media had previously reported.
The two women are of Tunisian origin; the elder also holds a Swiss passport. The court decided not to deport the younger sister. The women will have to undergo psychiatric treatment during their three-year probationary period.
Adapted from Italian by DeepL/kc/amva
How we work
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
More
One of Lake Lucerne’s oldest boats now running on electricity
This content was published on
May 24, 2024
At a cost of more than CHF1 million, the small ship is now able to make relatively short journeys on battery power.
Read more: One of Lake Lucerne’s oldest boats now running on electricity
More
Large viewership tuned into controversial 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
This content was published on
May 24, 2024
Switzerland was one countries boasting more viewers than ever before. A large proportion of younger viewers were also found to have tuned in.
Read more: Large viewership tuned into controversial 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
More
Switzerland Tourism takes stock of three years of pandemic recovery
This content was published on
May 24, 2024
2023 saw an unprecedented number of overnight guests, suggesting that the industry has been able to bounce back through additional funding, marketing and development.
Read more: Switzerland Tourism takes stock of three years of pandemic recovery
More
UBS mostly in agreement with tighter regulations
This content was published on
May 24, 2024
The bank’s CEO acknowledges that the institution is “too big to fail.” There is however disagreement with certain of the proposed regulations.
Read more: UBS mostly in agreement with tighter regulations
More
Sharp increase in dog bite incidents recorded in canton Zurich
This content was published on
May 23, 2024
Zurich veterinary authorities are at a loss to explain the rise in dog biting incidents in the canton last year.
Read more: Sharp increase in dog bite incidents recorded in canton Zurich
More
Swiss government opposed to CHF15 billion defence package
This content was published on
May 23, 2024
The government is not in favour of an idea to set up a special CHF15 billion fund for the army and Ukraine.
Read more: Swiss government opposed to CHF15 billion defence package
More
Switzerland trails other European nations in solar and wind power
This content was published on
May 23, 2024
Switzerland is at the bottom of the European league table in producing solar and wind-generated electricity.
Read more: Switzerland trails other European nations in solar and wind power
More
Cellist Sol Gabetta wins 2024 ‘Grand Prix Music’
This content was published on
May 23, 2024
The cellist Sol Gabetta has landed the prestigious prize which comes with a cheque for CHF100,000 ($109,551).
Read more: Cellist Sol Gabetta wins 2024 ‘Grand Prix Music’
More
Employees in Switzerland increasingly stressed at work
This content was published on
May 23, 2024
The proportion of people in Switzerland who are stressed at work has increased by 5% over ten years, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Read more: Employees in Switzerland increasingly stressed at work
More
Swiss Air Force to use motorway for test exercise
This content was published on
May 23, 2024
F/A-18 fighter jets will practice take offs and landings on the A1 motorway between Payerne and Avenches in canton Vaud on June 5.
Read more: Swiss Air Force to use motorway for test exercise
