SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Swedish parliament adopts tougher anti-terror law
Stockholm, May 3 (AFP) May 03, 2023
Sweden's parliament on Wednesday passed new legislation to ban activities linked to extremist groups, as it beefs up its terror laws, a key demand from Turkey to approve Stockholm's NATO membership bid.

With 268 votes in favour, the law -- which criminalises "participation in a terrorist organisation" -- was adopted by Sweden's 349-seat parliament and will enter into force on June 1.

When presenting the legislation in February, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said it was a "considerable widening of the scope compared to current legislation".

Actions such as handling equipment, organising camps or locations for meetings, cooking or being in charge of transport for designated terrorist organisations can be considered crimes under the new law, Strommer explained.

In November, the country amended its constitution to allow the bill to move forward, as it was deemed to infringe on Sweden's freedom of association laws.

Sweden has been adopting tougher anti-terror laws since 2017, when an Uzbek asylum seeker who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS) drove a truck down a busy shopping street in Stockholm, killing five people.

Cracking down on extremist groups has also been a key demand from Ankara before it will approve the country's stalled bid to join NATO.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden along with Finland abandoned their long-held policy of non-alignment and applied to join the military alliance in May 2022.

But while Finland became a member in April, Turkey has blocked Sweden's application, accusing the country of being a haven for "terrorists," especially members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Among other things, pro-Kurdish demonstrations in Sweden, where PKK flags have been common, have been a thorn in Ankara's side.

But Strommer noted in February that "partaking in a demonstration or at a meeting will not in itself be punishable".


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
SPHEREx completes first full sky infrared map of the cosmos
CoDICE instrument returns first-light particle data for IMAP mission
Top 5 High Volatility Games For 2026 Chase The Biggest Jackpots Today

24/7 Energy News Coverage
The Quantum Age will be Powered by Fusion
Physicists map axion production paths inside deuterium tritium fusion reactors
Hybrid excitons speed ultrafast energy transfer at 2D organic interface

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
SDA expands Tracking Layer satellite awards and related missile defense contracts
Space Systems Command activates System Delta 80 for assured space access
Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions to provide SAR reconnaissance data to German military

24/7 News Coverage
Philosopher argues AI consciousness may remain unknowable
Climate driven model explores Neanderthal and modern human overlap in Iberia
Economic losses from natural disasters down by a third in 2025: Swiss Re



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.