The Swiss Federal Court acquitted six Roma beggars fined by Geneva’s justice system for begging, stating that the fines violated the principle of proportionality as they lacked prior administrative measures. Geneva’s law prohibits begging near various establishments, but the court found that the penalties were imposed without any prior warnings or administrative actions.
The court emphasized that the definition of ‘immediate vicinity’ for prohibiting begging should only cover a few meters, and if beggars are more than 10 meters away from an entrance, they should not be penalized.
- Le Tribunal fédéral acquitte six mendiants roms amendés à Genève. In: Le Temps. 23.10.2026. https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/geneve/le-tribunal-federal-acquitte-six-mendiants-roms-amendes-a-geneve
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