Swiss military neutrality a state doctrine? yeah right while the nazis were baking jews in gas chambers the swiss stayed "neutral" because they were hoping to keep the jew money right? of course they also kept nazi money, and i bet every third world monster genocidal dictator (saddam included) has money in switzerland because their "military neutrality" guarantees 1. the swiss won't mess with the dictator's blood money or 2. the swiss won't care about other countries atrocious human right violations 3. the swiss won't care about terrorist-friendly tyrants threatening innocent lives worldwide. There is no such thing as freedom of expression in switzerland see below.... Whoever in Zurich reports (too) critically about police and authorities (1) or even institutes legal proceedings against fallible officials (2), doesn't have to worry about reprisals like f.e. illegal raid of editorial offices (3), illegal confiscations of editorial papers, negative films and videotapes (4), violent arrestations (5). Plus the usual little avalanche of charges & legal proceedings (5) under such intriguing titles as ... ... e.g. "subversive campaign against police and state" (6), "links to child pornography" (7), "gloryfication of violence" (8), "wearing t-shirts advertising forbidden films" (9), "taking illegal portrait pictures of police officers" (10), "hindering police officers from official duty" (11), a.s.o. Since going online spring 2000, http://blutgeil.com, http://PigBrother.info and other sites mainly on http://www.ssi-media.com specialize in topics usually ignored or even blatantly censored by local media like censorship (12), brutality and torture by swiss police officers (13), racism, forced deprivation of sleep, "lost" medical prescriptions and other unconstitutional standard procedures in Zurich Airport Prison (14) a.s.o. By continously publishing reports, newsletters and press releases (while getting regular, steadily increasing amounts of traffic), the pages managed several times to force both local and national newspapers, radios and TV to take up reports (although of course usually without reference), generating even a regular but shortlived hype on "police scandals" last spring -- all of this much to the dismay of both Zurich police corps. No surprise, local officers started early to try to muzzle the inconvenient homepages âby all means available" -- see f.e. above (3) - (11). With a little help from (amongst others) Interpol, German Bavarian State Police, Swiss Federal Police Administration (15) and the Institute for Journalism and Media Sciences of State University Zurich (16), two charges against all 18 homepages on http://www.ssi-media.com (plus even more on other servers) were quickly produced (5) The first trial took place Nov. 6 2002 under "increased security measures" (17). Despite being finally spoken "not guilty" in all charges, the verdict arriving Jan 9 2003 clearly is a 2nd class "not guilty": The former accused is reimboursed only 36% of his actual lawyer bill, not to mention his other expenses and troubles resulting from the proceedings (18). And this by far is not the end yet: The verdict isn't final (with the State's Persecutor likely to appeal), and already there are more charges and trials in the making -- see f.e. (10). SWISS POLICE: "ABOVE THE LAW" On the other hand, the officers involved in the illegal raid of the offices of ssi.media.com (3) with illegal confiscations of editorial material (4) later being "accidentally destroyed by the cleanig lady" (19) are safe from ever having to appear before court. Although an appeal against the first try of the District Attorney to stop the proceedings without detailled investigations was successful, it took the DA more than two years only to even interrogate the fallible officers -- after dozens of further costly complaints by a lawyer sponsored by swiss media union http.//www.comedia.ch Up to now, in any of the cases of police brutality and even torture documented on the mentioned pages (and partly also in the "official" media), not a single police officer was put before court, the police (usually investigating against themselves rsp. their "brother corps") "not being able to identify" the perpetrators and the Distict Attorneys similary not willing to offend their "good colleagues" -- but in contrary even officially proposing officers "standing above the law" (20), while the commercial media as usual refuse to cover such "ad-killer" topics.
EFF Analysis Of The Provisions Of The USA PATRIOT Act http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism_militias/20011031_eff_usa_patriot_analysis.html
no webpage has been shut down or anybody has been arrested because of criticizing the police or the government. the US patriot act has been used against sob terrorists to prevent them to kill Americans.. this is America not switzerland, where terrorists and dictators keep their money and are allowed to kill and violate human rights in their countries but common citizens are prosecuted for criticizing the authorities...
buzzy2, you forgot to mention that all of those disgusting websites are open and the defendants have been acquitted by the criminal courts in charge.
the article does mention that (although some of the links aren't working right now) the accused haven't been fully reimbursed legal expenses and it isn't finished because the prosecutors might still submit an appeal. no police or government official has been prosecuted. but that's besides the point. the point i wanted to make was: why aren't swiss as heavy handed against terrorists and genocidal dictators like saddam as they are against those who open "disgusting websites". aren't hussein and bin-laden disgusting enough for your taste?
buzzy2, `why aren't swiss as heavy handed against terrorists and genocidal dictators like saddam as they are against those who open "disgusting websites". aren't hussein and bin-laden disgusting enough for your taste?´ after having taken a dim look at the actual situation it is my impression that the terrorists and dictators you are talking about are out of reach of the Swiss authorities. for more details ask the Swiss police, prosecutors and judges - i am neither of them.
so stop whining opposing and crticizing the US of America when we want to go after them. keep feeding yourself from terrorists and dictators blood money if you want but don't pretend you are entitled to judge American foreign policy you aren't.
contrary to where you are criticizing the rest of the world from, there is no mind control where i am - the US Patriot Act does not apply here yet. therefor i am certainly entitled to judge anything i choose to - including American foreign policy.
right.... oh and by the way don't forget to credit those interest payments to the hussein and al-qaeda swiss accounts along with the bank accounts of the worst scum the world has ever produced. disclosure: i don't have any money in swiss banks they strike me as provincial, 2nd class, hypocritical people.