Of course you want to know as much as possible in a situation like this, especially if you are a parent in that area (there are many, a lovely place for families). Most countries I've lived in, you find out details almost as soon as the police know them.
I understand and respect the need for privacy - but I've found the Swiss hold back quite substantially more than they should and they even protect the identity of the criminal after they've been convicted. (Such as the recent case of the murdered child in Basel)
Can someone please tell me the local laws etc. surrounding this? I much prefer the Swiss way than the scandalous sensationalist coverage in the US/UK ... but at times, I feel the population are often unaware of incidents that happen within Switzerland.
My wife helped start an initiative many years ago when one of her school friends was murdered by someone who had just been released from a mental institution.
The initiative went to a referendum and was passed and so the law was changed to allow the publication of details of recently released sex offenders.
I don't know all the details and it was a long time ago but that was basically the gist of it.
But who's going to figure out their identity without a name unless their already aware of who it might be? If for example, they say it was a local teacher, anyone of us online wouldn't have a clue who it was. But anyone at the school would already know that one of their employees (who's suddenly not coming to work) was likely taken into custody.
Either way it doesn't affect the outcome, and if anything also stops any other gossip/guesswork/accusations that happen in these communities after a tragedy like this.
Well, the 20min link you shared contains the quote below. It seems the local population are well aware of who's linked to the incident. Parents in the are don't need the newspaper to get information.
So, blocking the news only lets down curious people from other communities, cities, etc.
Some years ago, when an individual was misidentified by online folk, it caused hundreds of folk to single them out, drive police presence towards them, had their faces plastered across newspapers and the internet, and ultimately defamed a young person for the rest of their life because some people decided it was important to name and shame.
And on top of all that, you can still see their name and the entire story nearly 10 years after the fact.
Stories like that are why they don't release names until a conviction occurs.
That said, once convicted, hell yeah release their name.
However I'm not talking about misidentification. I'm talking about the victim releasing the name of the perpetrator, regardless of whether there has been a conviction or not. Maybe the victim wants to take matters into their own hands, maybe they want justice as they don't get it through normal channels.
I'd say for the victim it's going to be really frustrating if the Police and press don't release the name.
In principle I agree, but by naming the defendant it also gives the opportunity for other victims and/or witnesses to come forward where they may not have had the courage, motivation or knowledge to do so.