Saggi di Dodis 3 (2021/4)

In the wake of the crises and upheavals of world history, violations of the diplomatic status of individuals and institutions increased during the 20th century. It is precisely the great symbolic significance which diplomatic institutions still carry today as representations of other states that was particularly attractive for attacks. Time and again, the disregard for the inviolability of diplomatic missions and diplomatic personnel was instrumentalized for political or criminal goals. Switzerland was not spared from this.

In the period from 1945 to 1989, a total of 42 assaults were recorded: 23 assaults on Swiss missions abroad and 19 assaults on foreign missions in Switzerland. The present article typologizes and contextualizes the identified assaults with the help of available sources, with a focus on how the Federal Administration dealt with the increasing threat to its diplomatic structures.