Each year, the siren test takes place on the first Wednesday in February. Amnesty International wanted to use precisely this topical, nationwide occurrence to call attention to the “forgotten war” in Yemen. The initiative took place on February 6, 2019 at exactly 1:30 p.m. and lasted 2 minutes and 15 seconds, like every year. The message reached a national audience, as people in Switzerland are always requested to turn on their radios during a siren test.

In case of an alarm, the Swiss are requested to turn on the radio for further information. Despite 200 years of peace in Switzerland, the alarm sirens are tested every year to see whether they still work. At the same time, homes, schools, and hospitals in Yemen are being destroyed without warning during air attacks since March 25, 2015. Yet the conflict is disappearing more and more from the Swiss consciousness.

While we test our sirens in times of peace, in Yemen bombs are falling without a prior warning.

Those bombs are delivered from around the world and they also hit schools, hospitals and residental buildings without a prior warning.

We at Amnesty International are fighting for the human rights and against arms deliveries for the war in Yemen.

You can help us protecting the civilian population at amnesty.ch/alarm.

In general, Switzerland is a country of radio listeners, with 88.7 percent daily listeners according to Mediapulse.

In case of an alarm, the Swiss are requested to turn on the radio for further information. Despite 200 years of peace in Switzerland, the alarm sirens are tested every year to see whether they still work.

Through this long-lasting peace and the annual tests of the sirens, the Swiss no longer associate danger with the sound and ignore it.