Basel‘s court staff without religious symbols during proceedings
From this summer onwards, people who work at the cantonal Basel court will no longer be allowed to wear any kind of religious symbols. The court council has adjusted the personnel regulations accordingly.
The courts in their jurisdiction have a constitutional duty to be independent and religiously neutral, said the Basel-Stadt Court Council on Wednesday. If only in appearance things look different, then the trust in judiciary and the acceptance of the court‘s decisions were in jeopardy.
According to the cantonal Court Organisational Law, those involved in judiciary proceedings have to appear in the court «appropriately dressed».
According to the statement, headwear with religious symbols such as a hijab, turban or a Jewish kippa, as well as the wearing of a Christian clerical outfit or a cross, is also included in the new regulations. The decision was made following a broad opinion-forming process.
Until now, no other canton in Switzerland has introduced such a provision, a spokesperson for the court council said on request. In Basel-Stadt, an application made by a young lawyer for a traineeship gave rise to the decree. The woman was wearing a Muslim hijab in the application photo.
Despite the new provision, the entry into a law internship remains guaranteed. In relation to new court employees in future jobs however, according to the court council, especially their choice should be disallowed, unless the person concerned agrees with the provision.
Exempt from these changes are the litigants and their legal representatives, translators, as well as expert witnesses. The new regulation will come into force in the summer. The provision is valid for all Basel-Stadt courts.
Basel pharma firms «should reduce the price of their medicines»
A non-government organisation in Zürich is calling on Basel pharmaceutical companies Roche and Novartis to reduce the prices of their drugs and make them transparent, according to a report in the «Süddeutsche Zeitung».
In particular, breast cancer drugs produced by Roche are a thorn in the eye for NGO Public Eye, with the organisation comparing the profits of the pharmaceutical giant to those of drug traffickers. Public Eye is supported among others by the president of the Swiss Cancer League and the organisation «Médecins sans Frontières».
Barbara Buser to be honoured with the Bebbi Award 2018
The eighth Bebbi-Bryys (Basler Prize), awarded by the civil community council, is to be given to architect Barbara Buser on 30th May.
Barbara Buser has been honoured for her major accomplishments as a pioneer in the innovative and sustainable areal and urban development of the city. The range of her characteristic projects and success stories can be seen across the city, from the Bauteilbörse (industrial spare parts market), the Unternehmen Mitte, the Gundeldinger Feld, the Gründerzentrum St. Johann and the new/old Markthalle right up to the Klara Foodhalle in Kleinbasel.
The Bebbi-Bryys (Basler Prize) will be handed to Ms Buser by the president of the civil community council, Patrick Hafner. The laudiato will be delivered by government president, Elisabeth Ackermann, at a ceremony in the civil community hall.