A surgical instrument for repairing an atrioventricular heart valve in a minimally invasive manner, the instrument comprising: - A first tube having a tube axis defining an axial direction; - Arranged within the first tube, a leaflet grabbing structure, the leaflet grabbing structure comprising a main body , a swivel-out portion with a first arm mounted to the main body , and a second arm , the second arm being swivel-mounted relative to the first arm, the first arm being swivel-mounted with respect to the main body ; - Wherein the second arm comprises, in a swiveled-out position of the first and second arms , a proximally facing first abutment surface ; - The leaflet grabbing structure further comprising a counterportion being a distal portion of a tube releasable from the first tube and being movable relative to the main body in axial direction , the counterportion comprising a distally-facing second abutment surface that is pressable, by a force pointing towards a distal direction, against the first abutment surface, whereby the leaflet grabbing structure is capable of clamping a leaflet of the heart valve between the first and second abutment surfaces; - Wherein the second arm has a recess and in the swiveled-out position of the first and second arm the second arm extends to a position that is central with respect to the tube axis to allow an artificial chord that is released from an interior of the counterportion to extend therethrough while the leaflet is being clamped, and to be released out of the recess by a lateral relative movement; and characterized in that - in a folded position the first arm extends axially distally of the main body , and the second arm is folded back to lie parallel with the first arm . - A first tube having a tube axis defining an axial direction; - Arranged within the first tube, a leaflet grabbing structure, the leaflet grabbing structure comprising a main body , a swivel-out portion with a first arm mounted to the main body , and a second arm , the second arm being swivel-mounted relative to the first arm, the first arm being swivel-mounted with respect to the main body ; - Wherein the second arm comprises, in a swiveled-out position of the first and second arms , a proximally facing first abutment surface ; - The leaflet grabbing structure further comprising a counterportion being a distal portion of a tube releasable from the first tube and being movable relative to the main body in axial direction , the counterportion comprising a distally-facing second abutment surface that is pressable, by a force pointing towards a distal direction, against the first abutment surface, whereby the leaflet grabbing structure is capable of clamping a leaflet of the heart valve between the first and second abutment surfaces; - Wherein the second arm has a recess and in the swiveled-out position of the first and second arm the second arm extends to a position that is central with respect to the tube axis to allow an artificial chord that is released from an interior of the counterportion to extend therethrough while the leaflet is being clamped, and to be released out of the recess by a lateral relative movement; and characterized in that - in a folded position the first arm extends axially distally of the main body , and the second arm is folded back to lie parallel with the first arm . <EOS>