Swiss War Materiel and Arms Exports

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Wavecom surveillance: exports to China and refusals for Erdoğan

Goods category: Dual-use goods (Goods Control Act)

Xi Jinping in Beijing, 07.12.2023.

CC BY 4.0

Wavecom received export licences for surveillance technology to Turkey worth around half a million Swiss francs in 2016 and 140’000 Swiss francs in 2019. Other applications were rejected. In 2018, the Federal Administrative Court upheld the refusal because of the risk of repressive use. In the rejected transactions, the Turkish intelligence service was the intended recipient through Aselsan. Wavecom received export licences for surveillance technology to China in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021. In 2016, the Swiss authorities refused Wavecom two exports of surveillance technology to Thailand. In 2021, Wavecom received export licences for surveillance technology to Russia. The share attributable to Russia was not reported separately. Wavecom received export licences for surveillance technology to Israel in 2018 and 2020. Judgment B-7184/2017 concerns the application of 17 November 2017 for technology to decode, record and analyse radio protocols for the Turkish National Intelligence Organization. SECO rejected it on 4 December 2017. The Federal Administrative Court upheld the refusal on 17 April 2018 because of the risk of use as a means of repression, including against people living in Switzerland. The decision gives export-control number 5D001.a for the software.

Effect of the proposed War Materiel Act revision

Dual-use goods are not subject to the War Materiel Act, but to the much weaker Goods Control Act. These cases are included for illustration.

Countries

Companies

Time period

Approvals and refusals in 2015–2021; court decision in 2018

Sources