Switzerland 1) How are refugee claimants (including the successful ones) from Zaire in Switzerland being treated? 2) Any reports of deportation of such claimants back to Zaire by the Swiss authorities. 3) Any reports of harassment and persecution of refugee claimants from Zaire while in Switzerland. 4) Refugee compendium of past information requests on Switzerland

1) Swiss refugee laws have tightened over the last two years [ "Swiss Favor Tightening Asylum Law for Refugees", Globe and Mail, 6 April 1987.]. In addition to the general restrictions on the granting of political asylum, non-Caucasians such as Zairians are deemed non-assimilable by the Swiss authorities ["Switzerland: So Many of Them, So Few of Us", The Economist, 28 March 1987.]. In 1985, before the introduction of restrictive measures in refugee laws, only 4% percent of refugee claimants from Zaire were accepted in Switzerland [ "Switzerland's Recognition of Claims to Refugee Status", Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 7-8 February 1987.]. In February 1987, the Swiss government has enforced its border controls, although the authorities expressed their concern for the number, deemed too high of refugee claimants from Zaire and other countries [ Netter T. "Swiss Spearhead Drive to End Flood of Tamil Refugees", Toronto Star, 14 February 1987.]. In November, the government imposed visa requirements for travellers coming from Zaire and a few other countries [ "La Suisse resserre les dispositions du droits d'asile", Le Devoir, 28 November 1987.].

2) At the end of 1985, the Swiss authorities expelled Zairians, along with Tamils and Chileans, pretending there was no danger in their country of origin [ Netter T. "Swiss Getting Tougher on Refugees", New York Times, 20 April 1986, p. 3.]. Six of these deportees were reported tortured to death upon arrival in Kinshasa [ Ross D. "Refugee Row Mars Image of Switzerland", Globe and Mail, 30 November 1985.]. In May 1989 again, however, a Zairian national was denied refugee status by the Swiss authorities and deported to Zaire; in fear of reprisals in his country of origin, he appealed to the immigration tribunals of Switzerland [ Documentation réfugiés, no. 73, 5-14 May 1989, p. 1.].

3) Xenophobia stemming from the increase in non-white refugee claimants is common in Switzerland [ "Swiss Asylum Limited by Vote in Parliament", New York Times, 5 June 1986, p. A4.]. The social attitude (mistrust) towards foreigners is actually the basis for changes in refugee laws [ Naef A. "A Legacy of Mistrust of Foreigners", New York Times, 3 May 1987, p. E2.]. A few rightist political parties have tried to limit refugee claims which they find abusive and have encouraged the population to segregate non-whites [ Documentation réfugiés, no. 85, 2-11 September 1989; the Parti radical démocratique suisse (extreme right) has proposed in early August 1989 an amendment to the refugee law imposing further restrictions on the granting of political asylum. Documentation réfugiés, no. 89, 12-21 October 1989, reports that five refugee claimants from Turkey were severely beaten at the beginning of October 1989.]. The Zairians deported to Zaire at the end of 1985 were reportedly beaten up and mistreated by the Swiss police [ Misser F. "Swiss Expel 57 Zairians", New African, January 1986.]. Recently, attacks on refugee reception centres have led to numerous casualties: in July 1989, the voluntary fire of a centre left four refugees dead, and a bomb exploded in another centre at the end of December 1989 [ "Suisse: violences contre des demandeurs d'asile", La Presse, 6 November 1989.]. The most recent incident involves thirty partisans of the Front patriotique (extreme right), who ransacked a refugee reception centre in the Zoug canton on 4 November 1989 [ Documentation réfugiés, no. 91, 1-10 November 1989, p. 2.]. The police, present during the incident, did not intervene, stating that no offense was being committed [ La Presse, ibid.].