Federal Administrative Court Upholds Citizenship Withdrawal in Terrorism Case
Judgment F-4395/2021 concerns a man convicted in France who later renounced his Bosnian citizenship.
Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court has dismissed an appeal against the withdrawal of Swiss citizenship from a man convicted of terrorism offences in France. The ruling of 12 August 2026 (F-4395/2021) concerns the consequences of his later renunciation of Bosnian citizenship. The Federal Supreme Court did not decide this case.
Conviction and withdrawal
A French court sentenced the man to 15 years in prison in January 2021 for participation in preparations for terrorist acts. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) withdrew his Swiss citizenship in September 2021. He appealed to the Federal Administrative Court. At the time of the SEM decision, he held Swiss and Bosnian citizenship.
Risk of statelessness
The man gave up his Bosnian citizenship in 2022, after the SEM decision. The Federal Administrative Court concluded that this later, voluntary step did not prevent it from upholding the withdrawal. It also rejected his arguments concerning the use of the French conviction and his right to private and family life. The ruling dismisses his appeal; it does not establish a general rule allowing authorities to make anyone stateless.
The court’s judgment F-4395/2021 sets out the facts and reasoning. An appeal to the Federal Supreme Court is possible under the judgment’s legal notice; whether one has since been filed is not established here.
Correction, 25 September 2026: An earlier version wrongly attributed this decision to the Federal Supreme Court and described a different case. This article has been rewritten from the Federal Administrative Court’s judgment.
