Breakfast Show 6:30am - 10:00am

Listen Live

Search

Parliament moves closer to end murder loophole

Tuesday, 3 March 2026 06:30

Federal Palace, Bern

Switzerland is moving closer to abolishing the 30 year statute of limitations for murder.

Yesterday, the National Council - the lower house of parliament - voted 109 to 73 to lift the limit, following support from the Council of States, the upper house. 

The proposal, launched by an initiative in the canton of Sankt Gallen, applies only to murder,  not to all crimes punishable by life imprisonment, and not under juvenile criminal law.

The Swiss People's Party and the Centre backed the change, joined at the last minute by The Liberals. 

The left and the Green Liberal Party opposed it. The bill now returns to the upper house.

Share

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Follow WRS

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play