Mario Fehr

Mario Fehr (born 13 September 1958) is a Swiss politician. He has been Head of the Department of Security since 2011, and was President of the Government Council in 2016/2017.

Early life and education

In 1984 Fehr graduated from the University of Zurich with a degree in law, and from 1984–85 he was an assistant at the university's Faculty of Law.

Ali Abunimah, director of the Electronic Intifada, was arrested in Zurich in January 2025 and deported after an entry ban on his travel to Zurich was imposed on him by the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) at the request of the Zurich police because, according to Fehr, Abunimah posed a threat to Switzerland's internal and external security. Abunimah had made a number of controversial statements in the past, claiming for example that there was "no credible evidence" of rape by Hamas terrorists during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, accusing Israel of deliberately killing its own citizens that day, and describing Iranian missile attacks on Israel as "an act in the name of humanity." Fehr described Abunimah as a "Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland". In January 2026, a Zurich court deemed Abunimah's arrest unlawful. Further, the court stated that, in contravention of Swiss law, the Zurich police did not inform him of the specific legal reasons for his arrest. Abunimah's entry ban and the legality of the deportation itself remain under review by the Swiss courts, with a decision to come later in 2026.

Personal life

He is a lawyer by profession, was born in Zurich, lives in Adliswil, and has lived in Küsnacht.