Lausanne: Green councillor acquitted by Federal Court after defamation conviction
Valéry Beaud, Green Party municipal councillor in Lausanne, was acquitted by the Federal Court after two convictions for defamation relating to Blécherette airport.
Federal acquittal for Valéry Beaud following Blécherette affair
The Federal Court acquitted Valéry Beaud, an ecological representative on the Lausanne Municipal Council, after two lower courts had found him guilty of defamation. The ruling, reported by Le Temps, upholds the freedom of expression of municipal elected officials in debates of general interest.
The dispute originated in an interpellation filed by Beaud in September 2021, titled "What is happening at Blécherette airport?". In this text addressed to the Municipal Council, the environmentalist questioned the operation of the airport and the right of superficies granted by the City of Lausanne to a private company. Drawing on a municipal preliminary report from 1992, he claimed that the deed would have been drawn up by Patrick de Preux, who was already connected to the site at that time, and raised the question of a possible conflict of interest.
These assertions proved to be partially inaccurate. The final deed had in fact been drawn up in 1999 by another notary, and Patrick de Preux had only become administrator of the company concerned in 2004. Considering himself defamed, he had filed a criminal complaint.
Convicted initially by penal order, Beaud had lodged an opposition, without success. In November 2024, the Lausanne Police Court had found him guilty and imposed 90 days of fines at 240 francs with suspension, a fine of 1,200 francs, and compensation of 10,214 francs for the plaintiff's legal costs. The Criminal Appeal Court of the Cantonal Court had confirmed this judgment in August 2025.
The Federal Court ultimately overturned this decision, ruling that the elected official's remarks fell within a debate of general interest regarding the future of Blécherette airport — a site which has for years pitted its defenders against neighbours exasperated by noise pollution. The ruling emphasises the particular protection afforded to freedom of expression within the framework of municipal political mandates.
Source: Le Temps