In the case of P.J. and R.J. v. Switzerland the Court held that there had been a violation of the right to respect for private and family life.

The case concerned a national of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s expulsion from Switzerland following his conviction for drug trafficking. The Court found that the national courts had focused their assessment on the nature and gravity of the offence, without weighing in the balance other aspects to the case such as the fact that the applicant had no criminal record and had only been given a suspended sentence, the fact that he had secured stable employment after his conviction and had shown good behaviour from then on and the adverse impact of the expulsion on his family.

• Press release