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Zurich councilor indicted for shooting at Madonna and child poster
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, JUL 21 – Sanija Ameti faces charges for shooting a religious poster and posting images online, with prosecutors seeking a fine of approximately 12,500 Swiss francs, amid 31 criminal complaints.
- On Monday, the Zurich public prosecutor's office confirmed an indictment of Sanija Ameti, charging her with firing a sport pistol at a 14th-century Madonna and child poster and sharing the bullet-ridden images online.
- In September 2024, Sanija Ameti fired about 20 shots at a reproduction of Tommaso del Mazza’s Madonna with Child and the Archangel Michael, deliberately targeting the heads of Mary and Jesus from roughly 10 meters.
- Under Article 261 of the Swiss criminal code, prosecutors seek a 12,500-franc fine, as the indictment copy stated, for insulting religious convictions and desecrating objects of veneration.
- Following the outrage, Sanija Ameti resigned from her Green Liberal Party leadership and quit the party in January, with 31 criminal complaints filed over the incident.
- Her current status underscores that Swiss prosecutors label Ameti's act as an `attack on the freedom of faith and the freedom to worship` under the Swiss Penal Code, highlighting broader tensions over religious respect and free expression.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Colorado Springs Gazette
Denver GazetteSwiss city councilor charged after shooting image of Jesus in social media video
A city councilor in Switzerland is being charged with “disturbing religious freedom” after sharing a video of her firing dozens of rounds into an image of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus. Sanija Ameti, a member of the Zurich municipal…
Swiss politician faces court after firing 20 shots at image of Mary and Jesus
Zurich, Switzerland. / Credit: Gianfranco Vivi/Shutterstock CNA Newsroom, Jul 22, 2025 / 08:42 am (CNA). 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 a Christian image depicting the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus.According to the Swiss news outlet 20 Minuten, the Zurich public prosecutor’s office accuses Sanija…
The ORF's invitation policy is becoming bolder and acts as if one wants to mock the population. In a "Dialogue Forum" on ORF III, the left-wing radical activist Sanija Ameti (33) also had her appearance – the native Bosnian woman shot a picture of Saint Mary and the child of Jesus with a pistol. Now, the Zurich Public Prosecutor's Office is accusing Zurich of alleged interference with freedom of belief.
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