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“Deprived of all rights”

Hannes Hofbauer presents his new book

by Marita Brune-Koch*

(27 March 2026) Have you ever heard the name Jacques Baud? Well, surely you have; after all, you are reading “Swiss Standpoint”, a publication that has reported extensively on him and about him. You will find hardly anything about him in the mainstream media. It was precisely this question – “Do you know Jacques Baud?” – that Hannes Hofbauer, author and publisher, put to a group of bookstore clerks. The answer: no one had ever heard the name. That is symptomatic.

Is Swiss neutrality immoral?

by Wolf Linder, Bern*

(20 March 2026) Voters will soon have to decide on the neutrality initiative: Should neutrality be enshrined in the Constitution? Should Switzerland support economic sanctions? Should peace efforts be strengthened? Does Switzerland want more neutrality or more NATO? Or should everything stay the same?

Swiss farmer at the helm of Russia’s largest dairy farm

by Marita Brune-Koch*

(20 March 2026) (January 2026) In the middle of the Moscow winter, a tour group from Switzerland sets off to visit “EkoNiva”, Russia’s largest dairy farm. It is snowing incessantly, and the coach struggles its way through the vast city. Despite the masses of snow, there is no chaos, though progress is very slow. The group is welcomed by Ramon Schenk, one of the farm’s two managers. He greets the visitors in familiar Swiss German: he comes from Herrliberg on Lake Zurich. He has been living and working in Russia for 17 years. Today, he is taking the time to tell his guests about the farm.

Widening hostilities across Middle East putting civilian lives in grave danger

The following is a statement from ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric:

(20 March 2026) Geneva (ICRC) – “Widening hostilities across the Middle East are putting civilian lives in grave danger. The scale of major military operations flaring across the Middle East risks embroiling the region – and beyond – into another large-scale armed conflict that will overwhelm any humanitarian response. Without urgent steps to de-escalate the situation and respect the rules of war, further civilian lives will be lost.

“Life goes on even where it seems to have been shattered”

In honour of Guido A. Zäch

by Dr Sabine Vuilleumier-Koch*

(13 March 2026) Hundreds of people wished to pay their respects to the doctor and founder of the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation.1 Guido A. Zäch established this foundation in 1975 and, in 1978, the Association of Benefactors, which now has 2 million members. In 1980, he founded the Swiss Paraplegics Association as an organisation for people with spinal cord injuries, and in 1990 opened the “Swiss Paraplegics Centre” (SPC) and, in 2005, the Guido A. Zäch Institute. – He passed away at the age of 90 on 16 February 2026. Across the country, all interested parties were invited on 28 February and were able to attend the tribute ceremony in various buildings of the SPZ.

The “Epstein scandal” and its socio-psychological consequences

Legal action is urgently needed

by Robert Seidel*

(13 March 2026) At the end of January, the largest portion to date of the Epstein files (several million documents, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos) was published.1 The “Epstein case” offers a glimpse into a part of the international power structure that operates beyond governments, the UN, the WHO or the WEF, and beyond the rule of law. A full investigation and legal reckoning are required.