Swiss court fines defendants in banner case targeting Turkish president

The Bern Canton High Court in Switzerland overturned the acquittals of four defendants involved in displaying a banner targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a rally seven years ago, media reports have said.

The ruling on Thursday is a reversal of a verdict in 2022, when the defendants were initially acquitted, according to reports from the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper and Swissinfo.ch.

Each of the defendants has been fined varying amounts, totalling 11,000 Swiss Francs ($12,246), for their involvement in the controversial display, marking a significant development.

The judgment stemmed from an assessment of the banner, which depicted a gun aimed at President Erdogan's head, accompanied by the word "kill."

The court expressed difficulty in interpreting "kill" in any other context other than as a direct incitement to violence against the Turkish president.

"The statement could not be considered impartial and could be clearly interpreted as a call for murder," the ruling stated unequivocally.

'Incitement to commit murder'

Moreover, the court emphasised that such an incitement to commit murder could not be shielded under the guise of freedom of expression or assembly.

The case stems from a rally where left-wing groups in Switzerland, along with supporters of the PKK, DHKP-C, and YPG terror groups, converged on March 25, 2017.

Among banners and flags carried during the demonstration was one displaying a picture of Erdogan with a gun pointed at his head with the phrase "Kill Erdogan" and "with their own weapons."