, revealed that the bank held accounts for individuals involved in torture, drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption, and other serious crimes, over decades.risked potential fines or even imprisonmentWhile the Swiss parliament still intends to discuss the matter at a later date, the subcommittee’s refusal to back the changes dashed hopes that the amendments could be fast-tracked.
The subcommittee’s failure to amend the law drew criticism from the UN special rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion, Irene Khan. She told Der Spiegel and Tages-Anzeiger that she was disappointed and “will continue to press the government of Switzerland to repeal the banking law”.Khan plans to escalate the issue to the UN human rights council on 24 June.
Denis Masmejan, the secretary general of Reporters Without Borders Switzerland, said: “We deplore this decision, but we do not lose hope that other parliamentary interventions will eventually change the lines. “The application of article 47 to the media is absurd and incompatible with the freedom of the press … It will have to be corrected in one way or another,” he added, saying the issue could eventually be addressed by the European court of human rights.