Members of the Swiss Armed Forces set up a static display of their equipment during the Tag der Bundeswehr event on Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany, June 28, 2025. The event highlighted not only the Bundeswehr but also their allies, which include the United States, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and France. (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Kadence Connors)

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in Switzerland’s favor in a case over the country’s military service replacement tax. The complaint argued that the tax was discriminatory because it applies to men who do not complete military service, while women and foreign residents do not have to pay it. The court unanimously rejected the claim, accepting that military service and the replacement levy are special constitutional rules outside the general discrimination framework.

The case concerned a Swiss man who was drafted in 2000, served 104 days as a sapper, was later declared medically unfit, and then had to pay the replacement levy. The ruling gives Council of Europe states broad discretion in how they organize national defense and conscription, including systems that treat men and women differently. SRF notes that a contrary ruling could have had wider consequences for European countries that still maintain male-only conscription.

Apparently the blatant gender discrimination is no discrimination at all, according to the human rights professionals.

Read the entire piece in SRF.