The Ligue suisse du service des droits de l’Homme (the Swiss League of the Human Rights Department – LSDH) defends the rights of immigrants and people who have been deprived of their freedom in Switzerland. LSDH representatives regularly visit administrative detention centers (Frambois, La Favra), as well as Champ-Dollon Prison, and attend trials as observers.
The aim of the LSDH visits is notably to ensure that any measures of constraint employed are not applied in an abusive manner and to guarantee that prisoners are treated at all times in accordance with Human Rights. Often prisoners do not have legal counsel, and LSDH helps them to request one and to assert their rights. When legal counsel has been provided, LSDH often plays the important role of intermediary between the prisoner and the defense attorney.
