Criminal law

How to protect yourself from harassment "I left my ex-girlfriend a year ago. She didn't take it well and, because she's jealous by nature, she started sending me over a hundred messages a day and making more and more calls on my phone, ending up at my house or...

Routine check: no calls allowed I was recently stopped by police officers while driving through town. While they were checking my papers and going round the car, I received a call, which I answered because my engine wasn't running. One of the police officers then ordered me to hang up....

Crossing in the mountains "I read your article about giving priority to the vehicle coming up mountain roads. Isn't it also customary for the vehicle that can manoeuvre most easily into a space where crossing is possible to pull over to the side, particularly if it meets a post bus?

Applying fines "I've heard about fines under the new criminal law; how are they applied? Maurice, Onex The new Criminal Code, which came into force on 1 January 2007, specifically Article 34, provides for the application of fines for short sentences. Under this provision, the judge...

Fines for using visitor spaces "I live in La Jonction and my car has a sticker for the corresponding zone. I regularly visit my partner, who lives in a block of flats in Chêne-Bourg, and there is a car park with around twenty spaces marked out in white on the ground, as well as...

From 1 July, watch out bikes! "I was astounded to learn that e-bike riders will now have to wear motorbike helmets and that their bikes will have to be registered. Is this true? Cyril, Geneva In view of the growing number of e-bike users in recent years, the Federal Council has adopted a regulation...

Defamation and discharging evidence "I am following up on your publication of 28 August concerning the offence of defamation. I would like to know whether, in the event that I communicate to people that a person has committed criminal offences and that this is true, I can also be sued for defamation." Sylvain Article 173 of the Criminal Code...

On the proper use of the hard shoulder "When I tried to get onto the motorway in a traffic jam, I ended up on the hard shoulder and overtook a few cars. The police then arrested me for serious misconduct. What happened? Patrice, Geneva The hard shoulder is not a...

Brandy: don't get stuck with a plum I have a beautiful plum tree in my garden and I'd like to try making brandy with part of my harvest. A friend told me that making your own alcohol is forbidden in Switzerland. I thought the days of prohibition were long gone! What about...