Swiss pardon woman who saved Jews

Switzerland closed its borders to Jews in 1942

The Swiss government has pardoned a woman who smuggled Jewish refugees into Switzerland during World War II.

Aimee Stitelmann, 79, was imprisoned for 15 days almost 60 years ago for breaking Swiss immigration laws after the country closed its borders in 1942.

She is the first person to benefit from a law introduced this year which offers pardons to those punished for helping Jews get into Switzerland.

A further 27 people are waiting for similar pardons.

Hid children

Mrs Stitelmann was only 16 when she began smuggling Jewish children over the border from France.

She rescued 15 Jewish children, many of whose parents died in concentration camps.

Sometimes she led them across the fields at night, on other occasions she even took the train and hid the children under the seats or under coats.

After her imprisonment, the Swiss authorities regarded her as a convicted criminal, and for four decades they monitored her activities, even her phone calls.