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70-Year-Old Volunteer at IDF Base Acquitted of Treason by Swiss Court
(Jerusalem Post) Jeremy Sharon - Swiss citizen Andre Mottet, 70, was acquitted of treason by a military court in Switzerland after serving as a volunteer with Sar-El, a nonprofit organization which runs programs for non-Israelis to provide logistical support on Israeli army bases. Swiss law prohibits its citizens from serving in foreign armies. During Mottet's trial, his defense attorney argued that Sar-El volunteers are not formal soldiers but civilians. In January, a military tribunal acquitted Mottet, but the military prosecutor appealed the decision to the Military Court of Appeals. On Friday, the court upheld the acquittal. Charges against two other volunteers will now also be dropped. 4,000 foreign citizens volunteer for Sar-El every year. 20% of the volunteers, like Mottet, are not Jewish.