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Swedish Justice Committee gives new terror law green light

TT/The Local
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Swedish Justice Committee gives new terror law green light
File photo of the Swedish parliament. Photo: Nils Petter Nilsson/TT

The parliamentary Justice Committee has recommended that parliament approves a law which would make it illegal to take part in terror organisations, according to a press statement.

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If the law is approved, it would be illegal to "promote, strengthen or support" a terror organisation. It would also become illegal to finance participation in a terror organisation.

The law is an important step in Sweden's aim to become a Nato member, as Turkey, who has not yet approved Sweden's Nato application, has demanded stronger legislation from Sweden on this issue.

The Justice Committee writes that the change in the law could be an "effective way" to prevent participation in terrorism. 

Those found guilty under the new law would risk imprisonment of between two and eight years, with a life sentence on the cards if the perpetrator had had a leading role in the organisation.

Although the new law will help Sweden’s case in its attempts to win Turkish backing for its Nato application, it has in fact been in preparation for six years, and was originally proposed by former Social Democratic government.

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The law as initially proposed was heavily criticised by the Council on Legislation, which questioned the need for the law, given that “associating with a terrorist organisation” is already a crime, and criticised the way the law has been framed as too vague and liable to criminalise too wide a range of people. 

The government believes that the new law is necessary to change and convict people who actively support a terrorist organisation without taking part in or planning a specific terrorist attack. 

Sweden's justice minister Gunnar Strömmer said at the time the law was sent to parliament that it could criminalise a wide range of actions taken to support a terrorist group, such as arranging meeting places, looking after housing, looking after children, making food, and arranging transport.  

Expressing support or sympathy for a terror group will, however, not be criminalised under the law unless it qualifies as propaganda, and Strömmer said that the government had met some of the Council on Legislation’s criticisms in its final proposal.

“We have made it even clearer that the law does not apply to resistance movements that are fighting for democratic social conditions in a totalitarian state,” he said. 

Two parliamentary parties - the Left Party and the Green Party - oppose the law.

The proposed law would come into effect on June 1st this year.

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