Court backs Swiss citizenship revocation for IS supporter
Monday 24th August 2026 on 14:01 in
Switzerland
Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court has upheld the revocation of a convicted Islamic State supporter’s Swiss citizenship, SRF reported. The man was not convicted in Switzerland and could become stateless as a result.
The 36-year-old was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and became a Swiss citizen as a child. Five years ago, a French court sentenced him to several years in prison for supporting preparations for terrorist attacks. He had operated several propaganda channels for the Islamic State and was recruiting new members for the organisation.
Shortly after the French verdict, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration, in consultation with the responsible authorities in Aargau, ordered the withdrawal of his Swiss citizenship. The SEM said he had committed a serious crime and significantly damaged Switzerland’s reputation.
The man challenged the decision, arguing that it seriously interfered with his private and family life. He also claimed that the measure amounted to impermissible double prosecution because he had already been convicted in France. In addition, he said he risked becoming stateless because he was no longer a Bosnian citizen.
The Federal Administrative Court rejected those arguments. It said the withdrawal of citizenship was an administrative measure, not a criminal punishment, so it did not constitute double prosecution.
The court also said the risk of statelessness had to be accepted in this case because the man had voluntarily surrendered his Bosnian citizenship despite knowing about the Swiss proceedings. The court suggested that giving up that citizenship may have been an attempt to block the Swiss case.
The court acknowledged that revoking Swiss citizenship could affect the man’s private and family life. However, given his history, it said Switzerland’s security interests carried greater weight and that the measure was lawful and proportionate.
The ruling can still be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court. Over the past 10 years, the State Secretariat for Migration has ordered the revocation of Swiss citizenship from seven dual nationals because of support for terrorism.