A/HRC/4/19/Add.2 page 15 47. During the Special Rapporteur’s discussions with various cantonal and federal departments, in particular the Federal Office for Migration and the departments of justice and police, it was pointed out that crime in Switzerland was perpetrated mainly by foreigners, particularly asylum-seekers, that 90 per cent of requests for asylum do not meet admissibility criteria, and that it would therefore be necessary to adopt measures to distinguish “bad” asylum-seekers from “good” ones. Moreover, in a letter to the Special Rapporteur, the Federal Office for Migration, states that “the return of individuals to certain countries of origin is often very difficult, or even impossible, when the foreigner concerned chooses not to cooperate with the authorities. Such problems are currently encountered by a large number of persons from African countries. For this reason, they are likely to be subjected to coercive measures and are comparatively often placed in detention pending deportation. However, this state of affairs does not have any racial connotations”. 48. The delegates for integration who met with the Special Rapporteur stressed the importance of the policy for promoting the integration of foreigners, and noting in this regard that foreigners should be allowed to vote and stand for election. 49. The Special Rapporteur noted with interest the initiatives undertaken by certain cantonal police forces, particularity in Basel City, where the police authorities and associations representing black communities have begun meetings for dialogue and exchange of views. Such exchanges have reportedly improved reciprocal knowledge, reduced prejudice and misunderstandings, and fostered better contacts between the police and these communities. The Special Rapporteur notes that the encouragement of similar intercultural dialogues is one way to prevent the deterioration of social relations and to avoid misunderstandings and errors arising from ignorance and lack of comprehension of others. 50. In Basel, the Special Rapporteur visited a deportation centre and a centre for registering applicants at the border. He noted that, while almost all detainees in this deportation centre were black, there were few blacks in the registration centre. According to the explanation given by the authorities, “the high proportion of Africans in the Basel deportation centre can be explained by an enforcement problem. Persons whose countries have concluded bilateral return agreements or who are considered to be willing to cooperate cannot be held in deportation centres. Bilateral return agreements provide for material assistance for the return, which gives individuals an incentive to return to their countries without resistance; there are no such agreements with African countries. This is why a high number of Africans are held in deportation centres”. This explanation is contained in a letter from the Service for Combating Racism, entitled “Additional information on the subject of remedies”, which was sent to the Special Rapporteur following his visit. III. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION BY OTHER ACTORS A. Civil society 51. The Special Rapporteur met with various components of civil society, including representatives of foreign communities, religious communities, NGOs, associations, asylum-seekers, trade unions and employers. He therefore had an opportunity to hear real-life

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