The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights said it would not consider the cases because the plaintiffs "cannot claim to be 'victims' of a violation" of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court enforces.
One of the cases was brought by a former spokesman for the mosque of Geneva and the other by a number of Swiss Muslim associations.
Switzerland held a referendum in November 2009 in which citizens voted to ban the construction of new minarets, a move that drew criticism worldwide. The vote inserted a new line in the Swiss constitution stipulating that "the construction of minarets is forbidden".
The plaintiffs had said the ban violated their religious rights, but judges in Strasbourg said they had not proven the ban "had any concrete effect" on the plaintiffs. [AFP] Read more
