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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Could teenager be stripped of Swiss citizenship over Zurich stabbing?

The security chief of Switzerland’s largest city Zurich is calling for a teenager who stabbed a Jewish man to be stripped of his Swiss citizenship. But can it happen?

Published: 6 March 2024 14:46 CET
Could teenager be stripped of Swiss citizenship over Zurich stabbing?
You can be stripped on Swiss citizenship and deported if found of putting Switzerland's security at risk. Photo: Pixabay

The 15-year old radicalised teenager who stabbed a Jewish man in Zurich on Saturday in what police said  was an international anti-semitic attack, is a dual Tunisian-Swiss citizen.

He was naturalised, presumably together with his parents, at the age of two, in 2011.

In a video posted online, prior to the attack, he claimed allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS).

Now Mario Fehr, who is responsible for the Zurich’s security, is calling for the teen’s Swiss citizenship to be revoked.

“There is no place for terrorists in Switzerland,” he said.

Can this actually be done?

As the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) explains it, “dual nationals can have their Swiss citizenship revoked if their conduct is seriously detrimental to Switzerland’s interests or reputation”.

One example of when such a drastic and irrevocable step can be taken is in the case of people convicted of war crimes, terrorism, or treason (see more about this below).

The fact that the Zurich stabber is a minor should not prevent revocation of his citizenship: according to Fehr, if the teen is convicted, then he can be deported, especially given there is a treaty to this effect between Switzerland and Tunisia.  

Have there been any cases of the government stripping a Swiss person of citizenship?

‘Mass’ expatriations took place in this country between 1940 and 1947, when 80 Swiss nationals were deprived of their citizenships because they collaborated with the Nazis.

More recently, in 2019, a Turkish-Swiss dual national lost his Swiss citizenship after being convicted by the Federal Criminal Court for being a member of ISIS.

The last such case, in 2020, involves a woman who was born and raised in Geneva but also has a French passport in addition to a Swiss one. She took her two young daughters to live in the ISIS enclave in Syria without the knowledge of their respective fathers.

In both these cases, authorities revoked their citizenships, banning them from returning to Switzerland and possibly posing a security threat within the country.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, more than 130 countries around the world have such legislation on the books, including 19 EU members. 

This basically means that whichever country of citizenship revokes the passport first, the other has no choice but to take in the law breaker.

In the case of a Geneva woman, the Swiss beat the French to the punch.

Are there other reasons for revoking Swiss citizenship?

Yes.

For instance, if you lie during the naturalisation process, provide false information, or conceal important facts, you run the risk that your passport will be revoked — but only if you have a second citizenship as well.

READ ALSO: Can Swiss citizenship be revoked – and can you get it back?

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For members

SWISS CITIZENSHIP

EXPLAINED: How to speed up your Swiss citizenship application

The naturalisation process in Switzerland is quite slow as it makes its way through two levels of the government — cantonal and municipal. But can be accelerated in certain cases?

Published: 25 April 2024 14:45 CEST
EXPLAINED: How to speed up your Swiss citizenship application

You have waited a long time (more than a decade in most cases) to be able to apply for Swiss  citizenship, so when you do, you may be eager to hasten the process.

The Swiss (and that includes the government) don’t like to be rushed, and that penchant for slow deliberations includes naturalisation procedures. The usual wait time from the moment you apply and receive your citizenship is typically between 12 months and two years.

Usually, the wait time is shorter for those applying for the fast-track naturalisation — for instance, people married to a Swiss citizen, or foreigners born in Switzerland — than for people going through the ‘regular’ process.
 
READ ALSO: Five ways you can fast-track your route to Swiss citizenship

Is there a way to make the process go faster?

You can’t jump the line or ask the cantonal or municipal authorities responsible for naturalisation procedures to hurry up.

In fact, such as a move could ‘red-flag’ you as a candidate unworthy of Swiss citizenship because impatience and not following the proper due course could be seen as lack of integration.

There are, however, ways to speed up the process in other ways.

You can do so by following the application instructions to the letter, that is, knowing what documents you need to submit with your application, and making sure you have all the required  paperwork (read more about this below).

This is especially important if you apply in a canton with a high volume of citizenship applications, like Geneva, Vaud, and Zurich, because the wait there will be all that much longer if authorities inform you that such or such document is missing and you still need to send it in.

How should you apply to ensure the smoothest possible process?

This may sound evident, but many applicants may not know where to send in their application.

It should be submitted to authorities in your canton of residence.

What documents should you send in with your application?

All cantons require you to submit a copy of your C permit, and proof of language proficiency acquired from a registered language school in Switzerland.

Other requirements may vary from canton to canton, but they are also likely to include (as, for instance, in Geneva):

  • An extract from the Swiss civil status register, not older than six months
  • A certificate from the tax administration, dated less than three months;
  • A certificate from the prosecution office, less than three months old;
  • A certificate of successful completion of the test validating knowledge of history, geography, as well as Swiss and cantonal institutions.

It goes without saying that if you send in your application but one of the necessary documents is missing, then your application will be put on hold until you provide what’s needed. That will delay the whole process.

So it follows that the best way to ‘speed up’ the entire procedure is to practice the Swiss qualities or organisation and preparedness.

READ ALSO: When can I start counting my residency in Switzerland towards citizenship?

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