Swiss politician who shot at baby Jesus risks fine

Zurich public prosecutor charges Sanija Ameti Keystone-SDA

The Zurich public prosecutor's office has brought charges against Zurich city parliamentarian Sanija Ameti for disturbing religious freedom. Ameti had shot at a picture of Jesus and Mary with an air pistol.

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According to the indictment, the public prosecutor’s office is demanding a conditional fine of CHF10,000 ($12,500) and a fine of CHF2,500. Ameti is to pay the fine and would be subject to a two-year probation period.

The indictment was made public on Monday by Mass-Voll President Nicolas Rimoldi, who had filed a complaint alongside others. 20 Minuten reported on it first.

According to the indictment, Ameti shot at the picture, which came from the catalogue of an auction house, around 20 times. She then shared a picture of herself in the shooting position on Instagram with the comment “switch off” and the perforated target.

The 33-year-old had ridiculed the Christian faith and unnecessarily belittled and hurtfully disregarded it, “combined with a potential threat to religious peace”, according to the indictment. By publicising it, she had at least accepted this. The presumption of innocence applies.

Professional consequences

The public prosecutor wants to attend the trial, which is rather unusual for relatively minor offences. It is not yet clear when the trial will take place.

The court must also decide on the plaintiffs’ civil claims. In addition to Mass-Voll, also the youth section of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party has filed a lawsuit.

The action on September 6, 2024, had consequences for the 33-year-old. She lost her job at a PR agency and Liberal Green Party President Jürg Grossen called for her expulsion from the party. Ameti herself resigned from the party in January 2025. She remained in the Zurich city parliament as a non-party member.

+ Swiss politician who shot at image of Jesus resigns from Liberal Green Party

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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