SwitzerlandRechte, Pflichten und Rechtsstaat 11 · Rights, duties and the rule of law
A person is accused of a criminal offence. What applies until a court has convicted them with a final judgment?
In the exam (German)
Eine Person wird einer Straftat beschuldigt. Was gilt, bis ein Gericht sie rechtskräftig verurteilt hat?
- aThey must prove their innocence themselves.Sie muss ihre Unschuld selbst beweisen.
- bThey are considered guilty as soon as the police start investigating.Sie gilt als schuldig, sobald die Polizei ermittelt.
- cThey lose all their fundamental rights.Sie verliert alle ihre Grundrechte.
- dThey are considered innocent.Sie gilt als unschuldig.Correct answer
Why?
This is the presumption of innocence (Unschuldsvermutung): every person is considered innocent until convicted with a final judgment. The criminal authorities must prove the guilt; the accused person does not have to prove their innocence.
Translated with AI. In the exam the question is in German, as shown above.
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Take a free mock examRechte, Pflichten und Rechtsstaat 12
The police arrest a person. What is this person entitled to?Correct answer:They must be told the reasons and informed of their rights.
Die Polizei nimmt eine Person fest. Worauf hat diese Person ein Recht? — Sie muss über die Gründe und ihre Rechte informiert werden.
Rechte, Pflichten und Rechtsstaat 13
You receive a written decision (Entscheid) from an authority and you do not agree with it. What can you do?Correct answer:Lodge an objection or appeal within the deadline
Sie erhalten einen schriftlichen Entscheid einer Behörde und sind damit nicht einverstanden. Was können Sie tun? — Innerhalb der Frist Einsprache oder Beschwerde erheben
Rechte, Pflichten und Rechtsstaat 14
In which city does the Federal Supreme Court (Bundesgericht), Switzerland's highest court, have its main seat?Correct answer:Lausanne
In welcher Stadt hat das Bundesgericht, das oberste Gericht der Schweiz, seinen Hauptsitz? — Lausanne
Rechte, Pflichten und Rechtsstaat 15
Who is mainly responsible for the police in Switzerland?Correct answer:The cantons
Wer ist in der Schweiz hauptsächlich für die Polizei zuständig? — Die Kantone
Source
Our own practice questions on the facts of the Federal Constitution and the official information of the Confederation and the cantons of Zurich, Aargau and Bern. They are not the questions of the cantonal tests, and no wording from the cantonal question catalogues has been reused. Each question was written, answered blind and fact-checked in separate rounds. The English translation and the explanations are ours, made with AI; in the test the questions are in German. We are not affiliated with the Confederation, the cantons or the communes.
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