In the context of current international conflicts, questions concerning the enlistment of Swiss nationals, particularly dual nationals, in foreign armed forces are attracting growing attention.
This research project examines the legal prohibitions and obligations applicable to Swiss citizens and companies involved in armed conflicts abroad. It addresses these issues through the lens of Swiss military criminal law, the law of neutrality, and international humanitarian law, while taking into account contemporary transformations in warfare, including the privatisation of military activities, the development of cyber operations, the use of intelligence services, and the proliferation of armed entities whose organisation no longer corresponds to the traditional model of the state military.
The first, completed strand focuses on the prohibition preventing Swiss nationals from serving in foreign armed forces. It builds on Thierry Godel’s monograph, L’interdiction pour les Suisses de servir dans des forces armées étrangères, published by Weblaw in 2023. The book analyses the case law relating to Article 94 of the Swiss Military Criminal Code, which, subject to authorisation by the Federal Council, criminalises the entry of a Swiss national into the service of a foreign army. It examines in particular the concepts of “foreign army” and “military service”, as well as their interpretation in Swiss military case law.
This research highlights the difficulties involved in applying criteria developed on the basis of the classical model of an organised and hierarchical army. In particular, it questions whether subordination to a military or “quasi-military” command should remain the defining element of foreign military service in the context of cyber conflicts, decentralised armed networks, and new forms of civilian participation in the war effort. The study therefore proposes consideration of a more functional criterion based on “active participation in the military effort”, which could more effectively capture contemporary forms of involvement in armed conflict.
The second strand, which is ongoing and is being developed in an article by Thierry Godel and Ana Carla Farrèr Gonçalves, extends the analysis to private military and security companies. The article examines the relationship between the law of neutrality and the obligation to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law arising from Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions. It also considers the extent to which neutrality-related obligations and national policies of non-participation shape the legal framework applicable to private military and security companies, influence their activities, and structure their internal compliance mechanisms.
Particular attention is paid to Switzerland, whose permanent neutrality has contributed to the development of a specific legal framework governing both individual participation in foreign armed forces and the provision of private security services abroad from Swiss territory. The analysis focuses in particular on corporate activities, the conduct of company personnel, cyber operations, intelligence services, and the challenges associated with the extraterritorial application of Swiss law.
Books
- L’interdiction pour les Suisses de servir dans des forces armées étrangères : Étude de la jurisprudence relative à l’article 94 du Code pénal militaire dans le contexte des guerres modernes et analyse critique des critères établis, Thierry Godel, Editions Weblaw, 2023, 156 pages.
Cette monographie examine la jurisprudence des tribunaux militaires de la dernière décennie, analysant l'interprétation des notions d'« armée étrangère » et de « service militaire ». Elle propose de nouveaux critères, tels que la « participation active à l’effort militaire », pour adapter l'article 94 du Code pénal militaire aux guerres modernes et aux entités armées déstructurées.
Liens : unidistance.ch, weblaw.ch
Journal Articles (Submitted)
- Impact of neutrality obligations in PMSCs Compliance, Thierry Godel and Ana Carla Farrèr Gonçalves, Submitted.
This article examines how obligations arising from the law of neutrality and domestic neutrality policies affect the regulation and conduct of private military and security companies. It considers states subject to different forms of neutrality or non-participation commitments and explores their interaction with the duty to ensure respect for international humanitarian law under Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions. Particular attention is given to Switzerland, whose permanent neutrality has contributed to the development of specific domestic rules, including Article 94 of the Military Criminal Code and the Federal Act on Private Security Services Provided Abroad. The article assesses the scope and limits of this framework, especially in relation to corporate activities, individual participation, cyber operations, intelligence services, and cross-border enforcement.
Webinars
- Guerre en Ukraine : quel sort pour les citoyens suisses engagés ?, Thierry Godel and Nicolas Bloque, Conference (60 min), 12 May 2022.
Lien : https://youtu.be/Q-DMGSItPE0
Media Coverage
- « Ces Suisses qui combattent pour Israël », Le Courrier, 10 July 2026
- « La Confédération ignore tout des Suisses engagés dans l’armée israélienne », Le Matin Dimanche, 1 March 2026
- « Mehr als 500 Schweizer haben in den israelischen Streitkräften gedient », SonntagZeitung, 1 March 2026
- « Binationaux dans les rangs de Tsahal », 24 Heures, 1 March 2026
- La Tribune de Genève, 1 March 2026
- « Les petites mains suisses de Tsahal », Le Courrier, 12 December 2025
