Swiss Politician's Immunity Lifted Over AI-Generated Deepfake Video
SVP Nationalrat Andreas Glarner shared an AI-generated deepfake video during the 2023 election campaign showing Green politician Sibel Arslan endorsing the SVP. A parliamentary immunity commission voted narrowly to lift his immunity on May 2, 2025, allowing criminal prosecution for suspected identity misuse and defamation.
What happened
During the 2023 election campaign, SVP Nationalrat Andreas Glarner shared a deepfake video on Instagram and X (Twitter) showing Green Nationalrätin Sibel Arslan making statements about 'criminal Turks' and calling for people to vote SVP.
Sibel Arslan filed charges against Glarner. On May 2, 2025, the National Council's Immunity Commission voted 5-4 to lift Glarner's immunity, allowing prosecution to proceed. The Staatsanwaltschaft Muri-Bremgarten had requested the immunity waiver in February.
Reported impact
The case is described as the first time the Immunity Commission has dealt with deepfake use in election campaigns. Prosecutors suspect identity misuse and defamation, charges which involve a newly created criminal provision for identity misuse.
Index analysis
The Immunity Commission concluded that the victim's interests and the severity of the alleged offense outweighed freedom of expression in the context of election campaigns. The Commission found that tolerating such actions would open the door to similar behavior in future elections.
Governance controls
The immunity waiver decision requires confirmation by the Senate Immunity Commission before criminal prosecution can proceed. The Immunity Commission's decision had a preventive component, designed to deter similar conduct in future elections.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.