Can one die for hemp in Switzerland of 2006 ?
A Swiss activist is near to die for the freedom to farm. To protest against a violent police raid (including the destruction of all his hemp without any judgement) and inhuman conditions of detention, Bernard Rappaz is on hunger strike since 56 days. He does not want to stop before being released. He never escape the justice, so they don’t need to keep him in jail before the court. Now, Bernard is in a Bern Hospital but not free, so he will continue even if each more day is really dangerous for his brain and body and finally his life.
He is in troubles for several narcotic law infractions, essentially for the production of seeds and clones and a suspicion of hash smuggling. The legal status of seeds and clones isn’t so clear in Swiss, the are several recourses and we’re waiting for an incontestable decision of our supreme court. But basically, the present law allow the production and possession of all varieties of hemp if you don’t use or sell it as a narcotic. This delicate question of interpretation was the legal basement of the Swiss tolerance on cannabis. We founded a grey system during the elaboration of a new narcotic law, including the decriminalisation of use and a regular system of production and distribution of cannabis.
Bernard Rappaz is one of the most famous francophone hemp activists, he is a leader of this global hemp Swiss experience. During the last decade, he faced several police raids and judgments. He hoped to be amnestied after a new law of regulation, which was promoted by the government, all drugs experts, Parliament commissions and had obtained the first step votes of the two chambers. At the last vote, for ten wind vanes, we loosed this historical opportunity in June 2004. Now, police and justice have a repressive interpretation of the old law, after ten years of very liberal policy. Now, all activists are treated like criminals. But it was always the case in Wallis, the Bernard canton.
Bernard already used two times the terrible weapon of hunger strike (last one was 73 days in 2001-2002) because he never accept to be criminalize for hemp and also because of the excessive pressure of the authorities. There are few polemical parts in this long and complicate case, for example the delivery of therapeutic hemp or some stock of hemp flowers for the previous regular market, we were so closed at this time. Nothing criminal according to the Swiss judicial tradition, we’re not in America. But the Wallis authorities think they are.
Now, the Wallis Attorney asks for 20 years of prison, the newspapers present it like a dangerous gangster, his company is at the edge of the bankruptcy. But Bernard don’t give up the fight, he’s ready to die for the freedom to farm the hemp, all the hemp for all uses. We must support Bernard before a drama. The Wallis and Swiss authorities must know that we are a lot around the world supporting Bernard Rappaz and a drug policy reform.
How to do that ? For the French speakers, we create a forum to coordinate our action and you can find more info on our website www.chanvre-info.ch (also in German and few in Italian and English). We are waiting for all suggestions and we are working on a internet petition and a mailing list of embassies and Swiss officials to protest directly. To start the process, I will publish all messages of support send to info at chanvre-info.ch
Laurent Appel
