Swiss prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a Zurich councillor and former Green Liberal Party leader after she posted images of herself firing approximately 20 shots at an image depicting the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. Source: National Catholic Register.
According to the Swiss news outlet 20 Minuten, the Zurich public prosecutor’s office accuses Sanija Ameti of publicly disparaging religious beliefs and disturbing religious peace under Article 261 of the Swiss Penal Code.
The code penalises anyone “who publicly and maliciously insults or mocks the religious convictions of others, and in particular their belief in God, or maliciously desecrates objects of religious veneration”.
The incident occurred in September 2024, when Ms Ameti used an air pistol to shoot at a reproduction of the 14th-century painting Madonna with Child and the Archangel Michael by Tommaso del Mazza.
The politician reportedly fired from around 10 meters, deliberately targeting the heads of Mary and Jesus.
Ms Ameti, who identifies as a Muslim-born atheist, then posted photographs of the desecrated image on Instagram, captioning it with the word abschalten – a German term that means “switch off” but that, in the context of firing at the faces of Mary and Jesus, was understood by some as a symbolic act of erasure or elimination.
The images of the desecration, including a close-up of the bullet holes, sparked immediate and widespread outrage.
In total, 31 people filed criminal complaints.
Ms Ameti resigned from her leadership position in Zurich’s Green Liberal Party and quit the party entirely in January. However, she still serves as an independent member of Zurich’s municipal council.
At the time, Ms Ameti reacted to the outrage on social media with a short post on X.
“I ask for forgiveness from those hurt by my post,” she wrote, claiming that she had not initially recognised the religious significance of the imagery and then deleted the images upon realising it.
Prosecutors are seeking a conditional fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (approximately $A19,000) and a 2500-franc penalty (about $4800)
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Swiss Politician Faces Court After Firing 20 Shots at Image of Mary and Jesus (National Catholic Register)
