United Nations experts on Tuesday harshly criticized a top Swiss university's decision to pursue the criminal prosecution of students who peacefully protested against its partnerships with Israeli institutions.
"Peaceful student activism, on and off campus, is part of students' rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and must not be criminalized," 10 independent UN experts said in a statement.
The experts pointed to criminal penalties sought by the publicly funded Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) as mass student protests over Israel's war in Gaza rocked universities in many countries in May 2024.
Around 70 students had staged sit-ins at ETHZ, demanding transparency and disengagement from research linked to the Israeli military.
The experts, including the special rapporteurs on the right to education, to free expression, and on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, pointed out that police were reportedly called within minutes.
"A large security presence (was) deployed, and the sit-ins forcibly dispersed, despite no teaching being interrupted and no violence occurring," the statement said.
After the protests, 38 ETHZ students received "penal orders" -- mainly fines of up to 2,700 Swiss francs ($3,500) -- including 17 who opted to appeal, it said.
"Recent court decisions have upheld trespass convictions against five students, while acquitting two others on procedural grounds," the statement said.
However, all students involved, including those acquitted, were required to bear court and administrative costs, amounting to at least 2,400 Swiss francs per person, a spokeswoman for the experts told AFP.
Decisions for the remaining 10 students are still pending.
The experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations, called on the Swiss authorities and judicial system to "take full account of Switzerland's human rights obligations".
"Universities and states must ensure that expressing solidarity with human rights causes and demanding accountability from state institutions, especially in relation to well-documented instances of international crimes, do not lead to intimidation, prosecution, or long-term harm to students' futures," they said.
