Zurich court acquits Islam critic Keller-Messahli
Keystone-SDA
The Zurich District Court has acquitted Saïda Keller Messahli, a critic of Islam, of the charge of defamation. She had made critical remarks about political Islam and Muslim organisations.
It remains to be seen whether the actual statement was defamatory, the judge said at the start of the judgement. The fact that a Muslim association is linked to extremist organisations could well be defamatory.
However, the defence counsel had referred to a clarification published following the interview in question in Matin Dimanche. In this, a representative of the Vaudois Union of Muslim Associations (Uvam) denied that a person alleged to have been a member of the Algerian radical Islamist party FIS was part of the executive committee of the organisation.
However, as the defence lawyer pointed out, he had not denied that this person sat on the Imam Advisory Board, an organisation affiliated with Uvam. For the court, this was the decisive point.
The verdict is not yet final and may be appealed to the High Court.
The organisations alleged that the journalist had improperly linked the Muslim associations Uvam and Vioz to radical Islamist organisations. She made the statements in 2024 in an interview with Le Matin Dimanche.
“I have submitted sufficient evidence to that effect,” Keller-Messahli told the court. The court only admitted the criminal complaint brought by Uvam.
Keller-Messahli’s defence lawyer also called for an acquittal, arguing that an association, as a legal entity, could not have its honour violated. However, the court rejected this objection, ruling that such a violation was indeed possible.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
