Swiss warn about illegal spying ahead of Turkish referendum

GENEVA – The Swiss foreign minister has told his Turkish counterpart that authorities in the Alpine country will investigate any illegal intelligence activities in Switzerland ahead of a pivotal referendum in Turkey that could grant sweeping new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter’s office summarized his comments in a meeting in Bern with Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday.

Cavusoglu’s efforts to address Turkish expatriates in Europe have stirred controversy in places like the Netherlands, where authorities barred him from attending a campaign event there, and Germany.

Burkhalter’s office said in a statement that he recognized the “difficult situation” Turkey faces after a failed coup d’etat in July, but that a state of emergency declared by Ankara “does not exempt Turkey from its international human rights obligations.”