GENEVA — Switzerland's top court has rejected an appeal by four protesters who were convicted of public incitement to a crime over a banner that called for the killing of Turkey's president at a demonstration more than 8 years ago.

In a statement Wednesday, the Federal Tribunal said it upheld a lower court's decision over the banner that read “Kill Erdogan with his own weapons” — a reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — at a March 2017 protest in the Swiss capital, Bern.

The banner featured an image of the Turkish leader with a gun pointed at his temple. A regional court convicted the defendants in 2020, handing down fines and suspended prison sentences.

“Based on the concrete circumstances — the selected image, associated with text — the banner cannot objectively be considered a

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