Your own child is a member of a terrorist group. And then you are charged as a parent. That is what is being heard today, Monday, in the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.
Author: Daniel Glaus, Myriam Reinhard, Sibilla Bondolfi
19.08.2024, 05:51
What are the parents accused of? In total, they are said to have transferred over 50,000 francs between 2016 and 2019, the indictment states. They used the money to enable their son to live in the territory of the “Islamic State”. Part of the money went to other IS members. This violates the law that criminalizes support for IS.
What did the parents know? Her son sent photos and videos from Syria, some in uniform and with weapons, or posing in front of the IS flag, says the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. They should have been aware that their son had joined a terrorist organization. The mother’s defense attorney disagrees: she acted out of deep conviction that her son was “a good guy,” says attorney Philipp Kunz. The father’s defense attorney adds that he, too, did not want to support a terrorist organization, but wanted to help his son.
Who are the accused parents?
Open box Close box
The mother: now 60 years old, Spanish-Swiss dual citizen, Catholic. The father: 60 years old, Swiss. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office does not accuse them of being IS sympathizers. The defense also emphasizes that they are far removed from radical Islamist ideology. Several conversations between SRF and the parents have confirmed this impression. The fact that their son converted to Islam was obviously the first shock for the parents – the fact that he became radicalized and traveled to IS was another.
The fact that their son left them almost ten years ago and that they are now facing criminal proceedings by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office is a heavy burden on the parents; they appear to be psychologically affected. They are also socially isolated because everyone around them knows their son’s story. And the payments have placed a heavy financial burden on them: the mother sold her house in her old homeland of Spain and canceled a modest life insurance policy in order to send the money to her son at IS.
What did the son need the money for? According to the mother’s defense attorney, the initial issue was living expenses. The indictment, however, states that Daniel D. told his parents that IS would take care of everything. They knew this. By transferring money to their son and other IS members, they helped ensure that the young men could continue to be active for IS. In a second phase, when IS was being pushed back militarily by Kurdish troops, the son was taken prisoner. He was sent to prison, his wife and child were interned in camps. The defense said that the aim was to enable them to escape. That did not work, and Daniel D. is still in a prison in northeast Syria today. The whereabouts of his wife and child are unknown.
Caption: Daniel D. had married in Syria and fathered a child. srf
How did the parents send the money? According to the indictment, they first used international money transfer offices following their son’s instructions and sent money to people in Turkey or Lebanon, who apparently forwarded it to Syria. Because the payments were no longer approved, the mother enlisted the help of neighbors who transferred money in their name. Later, cash was handed over in Switzerland: to two couriers at Payerne train station or to a Syrian from Lausanne. They probably used the Hawala system to forward the money. The largest amount, around 37,000 francs, was handed over in cash to two money couriers who had traveled from Berlin to Geneva.
The Hawala system briefly explained
Open box Close box
Laws to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorist organizations exist in almost every country in the world. Despite this, IS still manages to move its money without being discovered.
IS and its financiers use the so-called Hawala system for money transfers. A confidant – for example in Kuwait City – instructs his confidant in the IS stronghold of Raqqa to hand over a certain amount to a person who says a code word. With this system, money transfers can be completed in just a few hours.
The money transfer leaves no electronic traces, which makes it virtually impossible to trace the money flow. The money is physically delivered by courier at a later date to cover the debt.
Why is the process important? “The key question is whether parents are committing a criminal offence if they financially support their child who is fighting for IS,” says criminal law professor Wolfgang Wohlers from the University of Basel. Neither the legislator nor academics had thought of this scenario, so the process is new territory. “When the criminal law was created, people who collect money for terrorist groups or people who manage their assets were thought of.” The question also arises as to whether it has been proven that the parents were aware that the money could go to a terrorist organisation. And whether the perceived hardship is a valid excuse. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has charged the Geneva parents for the first time with relatives of jihad travellers, and further criminal proceedings are ongoing. If found guilty, the law carries a sentence of up to five years in prison or a fine.
Daniel D.: “The most dangerous Swiss jihadist”
Open box Close box
Now 29 years old, Daniel D. is one of the most notorious cases of Swiss IS supporters; press reports refer to him as the “most dangerous Swiss jihadist”. According to the indictment, the Genevan is said to have held military positions in IS; according to SRF research, he was trained as a sniper, was assigned to an IS brigade of potential assassins and was involved in planning attacks in Switzerland. He denied this in interviews that SRF conducted with him in prison in northern Syria.
Daniel D. became interested in Islam as a teenager, converted, and frequented the Great Mosque in Geneva, where a youth group was formed around 2014, led by radical preachers from France. Several young men from this circle joined the so-called holy war, jihad. Daniel D. traveled to Syria in 2015. In 2019, he was captured by Kurdish troops and has been in prisons in northern Syria ever since. The Federal Council rejects the active repatriation of adult Swiss prisoners.
