Swiss Review 5/2021

Swiss Review / October 2021 / No.5 31 Olympic medal bonanza for Switzerland Switzerland ended the Tokyo Olympics on 13 medals – the biggest haul by the nation’s athletes since 1952. Three of thesewere gold, thanks to Belinda Bencic in the tennis, Nina Christen in the shooting, and Jolanda Neff in themountain bike event. Neff’s podium ceremony was particularly grat- ifying, as the gold medal winner was flanked by two other Swiss riders, Sina Frei (silver) and Linda Indergand (bronze). Switzerland’s previous medal sweep came 85 years ago in gymnastics, at the 1936 Berlin games. (MUL) Taliban catch Switzerland unawares The Taliban’s seizure of power inAfghanistanwrong-footed the Swiss authorities, who were saying at the beginning of August that theywouldbe proceedingwith the repatriation of failed Afghan asylum seekers. Only days later came the U-turn. The same asylum seekers can now apply for hard- ship support and the right to stay. Furthermore, Switzer- land is considering taking in refugees in particular need of protection. It has also withdrawn its aid workers from Af- ghanistan. (MUL) Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visits Thailand Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visited Thailand in Au- gust as part of his tour of South East Asia. Swiss expats used his visit to complain that they are still waiting to be vacci- nated. According to media reports, Cassis said he was go- ing to recommend to the Thai authorities that they allow foreign nationals to get vaccinated – as is the practice in Switzerland. The Swiss embassy in Thailand took a prag- matic approach by organising vaccination appointments at a private hospital. (MUL) The new man at the FDP helm Thierry Burkart is set to become the new leader of the FDP in Switzerland. The 45-year-old Aargau member of the Council of States is the only candidate for the post. He is due to be elected in October. Burkart will succeed Petra Gössi, who tried to give the FDP a greener image. Gössi resigned after the electorate rejected the CO2 Act – a piece of legis- lation that she had supported. Burkart is no friend of Gös- si’s climate policies and belongs to the conservative wing of the party. (MUL) Murat Yakin is the new Switzerland coach Murat Yakin is the new Swiss national football team coach. He succeeds Vladimir Petkovic, who surprisingly stepped down fromthe post this summer (see page 10). Yakin iswell known in Swiss football. As a player, he had spells in the Bundesliga as well as a very successful stint at FC Basel. Teams that he has coached include FC Thun, FC Luzern, FC Basel and Spartak Moscow. (MUL) Natallia Hersche Prison no. 4, Gomel, Belarus – this is where 51-year-old Natallia Her- sche from St Gallen has been incarcerated since being convicted of “violent resistance against a lawenforcement officer” over an incident that happened during a women’s demonstration in Minsk at the end of 2020. Hersche was detained but reportedly “resisted arrest”. She ripped off a police officer’s balaclava, causing “slight damage to the garment in the area of the eye slit”. Many who have protested against the Belarus president, Alexander Lukaschenko, have been deprived of freedom. But why did Hersche leave her comfortable neighbour- hood near Lake Constance to demonstrate in Minsk? Switzerland played a big part in her decision. Her adopted home is a democracy that guarantees the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assem- bly. The Swiss-Belarus dual citizen wishes the same were true of her country of birth, making her “a symbol of our revolution” in the eyes of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. The Swiss ambassador in Minsk, Claude Altermatt, is doing all he can to help Hersche. How- ever, the Swiss diplomat has to tread carefully. When Switzerland opened its embassy in Belarus as recently as 2020, one of its stated goals was to deepen economic ties with the country, which Lukaschenko ruleswith an iron fist. In contrast, Hersche is innomood to compromise. She could have asked Lukaschenko for a pardon in April, but didn’t. “I will never plea to this regime for anything,” she says. Who knows what price she is paying for her tenacity. MARC LETTAU Top Pick News