Swiss politician loses immunity after publishing deepfake video

Andreas Glarner loses immunity after Sibel Arslan's deepfake Keystone-SDA

Parliamentarian Andreas Glarner from the right-wing Swiss People's Party has lost his parliamentary immunity.

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The Legal Affairs Committee of the Senate has confirmed the decision of its counterpart in the House of Representatives concerning the use of a deepfake involving parliamentarian Sibel Arslan from the left-wing Green Party.

During the 2023 election campaign, Glarner published a fake video of Turkish-born Arslan in which she said she was in favour of deporting all Turkish criminals and called for people to vote for Glarner.

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The chair of the Senate committee, Daniel Jositsch, told the media on Friday that “there is a link with his political activity”. “The case goes further than attacks on a television programme or a caricature.”

The committee therefore decided by eight votes to two to lift Glarner’s immunity. An investigation may be opened against him. However, the committee doubted that Glarner would be convicted, Jositsch said.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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