National Council Commission to Expel Russian Spies Consistently
Published: Tuesday, Sep 5th 2023, 18:41
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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The Swiss National Council's Foreign Policy Commission has passed a motion calling for the expulsion of Russian and other foreign spies from the country. The motion was passed with 11 votes in favour, 9 against and one abstention. It calls for the expulsion of any foreign persons who threaten the internal or external security of Switzerland or its role as a host country, and who cannot be prosecuted under criminal law. The majority of the commission believes that prohibited intelligence activities not only threaten the protection of Switzerland's information and secrets, but also the freedom of expression and assembly of certain communities. The minority, made up of SVP and FDP members, supports the current practice of the Federal Council, which is to handle any expulsions or convictions of foreign intelligence personnel cautiously, as long as the espionage does not threaten the internal security of Switzerland. The Commission also rejected a proposal for Switzerland to join the G7's "Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs Task Force". The majority, like the Federal Council, believes that cooperation with the task force is satisfactory on a technical level and that joining would not bring any additional value.nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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