“We would have liked to have taken an even clearer position” – that is how the CDU Lower Saxony explains the deepfake affair internally | EUROtoday

In the affair surrounding the potential creation of a sexualized AI video within the Lower Saxony CDU state parliamentary group, state chairman Sebastian Lechner wrote a letter to get together members. In the inner letter, which is accessible to WELT, Lechner describes the revelation of the allegations as “shocking news for all of us” that leaves us “stunned”.

The matter was nonetheless “proactively communicated” and a press release was printed on the matter. “We would have liked to have taken a clearer stance on the matter and given further background information,” continued Lechner, “but that was not possible for legal reasons.”

A media legislation agency was referred to as in and the choice was made to not make any additional statements in the intervening time “to protect the personal rights of everyone involved”. Because: As an employer, the group has an obligation of care in direction of workers, “even if there may have been misconduct there”.

Regarding the subsequent steps, Lechner writes: “Everything must be explained transparently and completely.” We will cooperate totally with the judiciary. “We will continue to draw all the necessary conclusions. To put it bluntly: there is zero tolerance for misogynistic thinking and behavior in the CDU,” stated Lechner. There are “obviously still deficits” on the best way to growing the Lower Saxony CDU right into a “modern and innovative party” – the present scandal has “made this more than clear”.

Now he desires to make use of “the crisis as an opportunity,” stated Lechner, with out being particular. This additionally requires “the expertise of the many women” within the get together.

The worker in query was terminated with out discover

The background to the affair: On the afternoon of January 17, 2026, a message was obtained on the cell telephones of a number of workers of the Lower Saxony CDU parliamentary group. In a shared non-public Whatsapp chat group, a senior member of the group posted an AI-generated brief video during which one other senior member of the group was depicted in a clearly sexualized method – a so-called deepfake.

Two months later, this information sparked a political affair within the state parliament in Hanover. According to WELT data, parliamentary group chief Sebastian Lechner and Parliamentary Managing Director Carina Hermann solely lately discovered concerning the video and canceled their Easter trip. After a number of disaster conferences in Hanover, the worker who apparently created the video was launched on the identical day and has since been terminated with out discover. He didn’t reply to a number of WELT inquiries.

A spokesman for the Hanover public prosecutor’s workplace confirmed the method and an examination of the info on the request of the German Press Agency. However, no investigation has been carried out but.

The public prosecutor has now seen the brief video. “There is a woman dancing in a bikini. This woman looks like an employee of the CDU parliamentary group,” stated an authority spokesman. The video is “obviously an AI montage”. An actual image of the lady was presumably included within the video. There is suitable software program that makes this potential.

The spokesman stated that no investigations have but been carried out towards the alleged creator of the video, an worker of the CDU parliamentary group. There isn’t any proof of insult within the video – however there’s suspicion of a violation of the artwork copyright legislation if the lady’s photograph had been altered. This is a so-called utility offense, stated the general public prosecutor. The public prosecutor can solely take motion if a felony criticism is obtained.

However, no felony costs have been filed to date, stated the authority spokesman. A 3-month deadline for this utility offense has not but handed – the deadline begins from the time these affected develop into conscious of it. If a felony criticism is submitted by then, the general public prosecutor’s workplace would look at the case once more, it was stated.