Swiss wind instrument repairman Emanuel Brünisholz from Burgdorf was sentenced to ten days in prison after refusing to pay fines for a December 2022 Facebook comment responding to National Councillor Andreas Glarner. The post stated: “If you excavate LGBT people after 200 years, you will only find men and women among the skeletons; everything else is a mental illness that was fostered by the curriculum!”
Activists filed complaints, leading to police questioning in August 2023 and a conviction under Article 261bis of the Swiss Criminal Code for publicly belittling LGBT people. He received a suspended 2,500 Swiss franc penalty, a 500-franc fine, and 800 francs in court costs.
Brünisholz declared he would not pay for stating a scientific fact about biological sex, resulting in his imprisonment starting December 2, 2025. The case has sparked outrage for allegedly misusing Article 261bis—intended to protect freedoms—to suppress dissent on gender ideology. The Alliance for Freedom of Expression criticized the ruling, arguing it undermines the law’s purpose by silencing opposing views.
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