UN Experts Alarmed by ETH Zurich Prosecution of Pro-Palestine Students

UN human rights experts have expressed serious concern over ETH Zurich's decision to pursue criminal charges against students who peacefully protested the university's research partnerships with Israeli institutions linked to the military sector.

In a joint statement, the experts said publicly funded research must not contribute — directly or indirectly — to war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide, and warned that universities and states have a legal obligation to prevent such outcomes.

Research links raise complicity concerns

ETH Zurich, a publicly funded Swiss university, is reported to collaborate with Israeli universities that play a role in the country's military-industrial complex, including work on artificial intelligence, surveillance and weapons technologies potentially used in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Until October 2025, ETH Zurich publicly acknowledged that no end-use controls applied to knowledge shared through fundamental research collaborations, and that potential military applications could not be excluded. Although Switzerland introduced new dual-use export controls in May 2025, these do not cover fundamental research, leaving oversight largely in the hands of individual researchers.

"The alleged integration of academic research into military systems raises serious questions of potential complicity in international crimes," the experts said.

They stressed that publicly funded universities must uphold human rights standards and refrain from supporting unlawful occupations, including Israel's control over occupied Palestinian territory.

Peaceful protests met with police action

In May 2024, around 70 students staged sit-ins at ETH Zurich, calling for transparency and disengagement from research linked to Israel's military sector. According to the experts, police were called within minutes, a large security presence was deployed, and the protests were forcibly dispersed, despite no violence and no disruption to teaching.

Following the protests:

• 38 students received penal orders

• 17 students appealed, despite significant legal and financial risks

• Courts have upheld trespass convictions against five students

• Two students were acquitted on procedural grounds

• Ten cases remain pending

Criminalising activism threatens student rights

UN experts warned that prosecuting peaceful student protesters undermines freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, both protected under international human rights law.

"Peaceful student activism is part of students' fundamental rights and must not be criminalised," they said.

They also cautioned that intimidation and prosecution could cause long-term harm to students' futures, particularly when activism relates to well-documented allegations of international crimes.

Call for Swiss action

The experts urged Swiss authorities and the judiciary to fully uphold Switzerland's international human rights obligations. They called for urgent scrutiny of ETH Zurich's research partnerships and an end to the criminalisation of peaceful protest.

The UN experts have formally contacted both the Swiss Government and ETH Zurich seeking clarification and action.