On 22 May, Parliament passed amendments to the Criminal Code as well as to the Freedom of the Press Ordinance, part of Sweden’s Constitution, clarifying provisions on incitement against ethnic groups. The amendments explicitly criminalise the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. The Criminal Code previously criminalised incitement, threats or disrespect against a group of people based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity, and included a maximum penalty of two years in prison (maximum of four years for serious crimes in cases of particularly threatening or offensive content or distribution to a large number of people). The amendments clarify that these provisions apply to incitement to violence to reduce ambiguity in the application of the law. The provisions further extend protections to individuals belonging to protected groups, and provide the right to damages and status as injured parties. The amendments to the Criminal Code will enter into force on 1 July 2024. The constitutional amendments can only apply from 1 January 2027 after the next parliamentary elections, according to the Constitution.

Sources: SVD, Riksdagen (1), Riksdagen (2), Riksdagen (3), Riksdagen (4), Civil Rights Defenders 

On 10 April, Parliament approved an amendment to the Police Act, allowing the police to create so-called “Security zones.”  The security zones are temporary, geographically limited areas in which the police are allowed to conduct a body search or search a vehicle without concrete suspicion of crime. The decision to search a person or vehicle could instead be based on certain risk profiles, such as wearing clothing brands that are associated with gangs. The law's purpose is to make it easier for the police to find weapons or explosives and to combat rising gang violence. The law has been heavily criticized including by the Equality Ombudsman (DO) and the Swedish Institute for Human Rights, which each expressed strong concerns that the law can lead to ethnic profiling, that it is too extensive in terms of the power it gives the police, and that there is a risk of arbitrary use. The law entered into force on 25 April. 

Sources: The Equality Ombudsman, Institute for Human Rights, the Swedish Government, Svt Nyheter (1), Svt Nyheter (2), the Police Act 

A public meeting organized by the Left Party (V) and the Green Party (MP) was attacked by three masked men on 24 April. The meeting was about the growth of fascism and featured speakers from the anti-racist foundation, Expo as well as the Swedish journalist and activist, Mathias Wåg. The attackers deployed a smoke bomb and physically assaulted speakers and attendees. The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, as well as leaders of the other major political parties, expressed their concern about such an attack on a political meeting. The attack comes as part of a longer trend of increased political violence, with a notable example being the murder that occurred during Almedalen Political Week in 2022.  

Sources: SVT, Reuters (1), Swedish Radio, Swedish Security Service, Euractiv, Reuters (2), Government Offices of Sweden 

On 17 April, Parliament passed a new law making it easier for people to change their legally recognized gender in Sweden’s population register. The law was introduced by the Health and Welfare parliamentary committee and passed with 234 votes in favour and 94 against. The legislation ensures that changing legal gender no longer requires a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria but means a shorter consultation with a doctor is sufficient. Additionally, the age limit for legal gender changes was lowered from 18 years to 16 years with a guardian’s approval. Proponents, such as the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights (Riksförbundet för homosexuellas, bisexuellas, transpersoners, queeras och intersexpersoners rättigheter - RFSL), say the law can contribute to improved personal safety for transgender people. The law will enter into force in July 2025.  

Sources: Sveriges Riksdag, RFSL, The Local (1), The Local (2), Svenska Dagbladet 

On 7 March, Sweden officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the 32nd member of the alliance. Sweden applied for membership in NATO on 18 May 2022, at the same time as Finland, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sweden’s accession was drawn out by delayed ratification by existing members, Türkiye and Hungary, who respectively approved Sweden’s membership in January and February 2024. On entering NATO, Sweden leaves behind 200 years of military non-alignment. A long history of close cooperation with NATO and the changing security situation in Europe have led to broad political support for joining NATO, with 269 out of 349 members of the Swedish Parliament voting in favour of Sweden’s accession to NATO.

Sources: Government Offices of Sweden (1), Government Offices of Sweden (2), SVT News, Reuters

On 9 March, a representative sample of 60 Swedish participants convened for the opening of Sweden’s first national citizens’ assembly on climate change. The assembly will consider means for Sweden to lower greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet its international climate commitments. The assembly is run by Fairtrans, a research programme delivered by a consortium of Swedish universities and research institutes. The deliberations will be supported by climate experts who will weigh in with diverse areas of knowledge. The citizens’ assembly will vote on the final recommendations and present their findings on 19 May 2024, including to Swedish policymakers such as the climate policy spokespersons of the parliamentary groups. Participants were selected to be representative of Sweden’s population based on factors such as age, gender, income and political views.

Sources: Stockholm University, Buergerrat, Stockholm Resilience Center, Fairtrans, SVT, Dagens Nyheter

As of 1 January, new legislation allows police to physically search people suspected of being illegal immigrants for identity documents (if they fail to provide the documents voluntarily) and retain the documents until their legal status is confirmed or they leave the country. The measures  were criticized by Civil Rights Defenders for the risk of ethnic profiling when they were proposed in 2022. On 1 March, further amendments to the Aliens Act will enter into force, allowing for the revocation of “alien passports” for security reasons. “Alien passports” are granted to residence permit holders who cannot safely obtain a home country passport. The changes also expand the grounds for revoking residence permits for individuals suspected of terrorism or state-sponsored industrial espionage. The Council on Legislation cautioned against the changes, due to loosely defined criteria for identifying involvement in terrorism, potentially resulting in arbitrary enforcement.

Sources: Riksdagen – decision (1), Civil Rights Defenders, The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, Riksdagen - decision (2), the Council on Legislation

Parliament approved amendments to the criminal code to strengthen the protection of journalists and prevent attacks on reporters. The changes aim to safeguard impartial reporting by journalists by minimising the risk of exposure to threats which may affect their work or lead to self-censorship. The amendments ensure that crimes committed against a person because of their role as a journalist are assessed more harshly and carry higher penalties. Recent research by Lund University found a need for increased resources and priority within the legal system to address online harassment against journalists. The changes also introduce penal provisions to expressly prevent abuse and harassment against other “socially beneficial functions,” including personnel in healthcare, social services, rescue services and schools, to ensure the uninhibited performance of duties deemed critical for society, and to protect occupations that are especially exposed to threats.

Sources: Riksdagen (1), Riksdagen (2), Riksdagen (3), Lund University

Parliament approved a new terror law which criminalises participation in or support to a terrorist organisation, including through organising terrorist activities; providing funding, equipment, transport or housing to such groups; and publicly encouraging and recruiting for terrorist activities. The law was approved with 268 votes in favour, 34 votes against and 47 abstentions. The Council of Legislation (Lagrådet) criticised the bill as unnecessary and risking too far-reaching criminalisation further to a legal review completed in March. Observers have said that the move seeks to address Turkey’s blocking of Sweden’s bid to join NATO, where Ankara has accused Swedish authorities of harbouring members and supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). This sentiment was renewed by Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after the PKK flag was projected onto the Swedish Parliament building by protesters in May.

Sources: SVD, Riksdagen (1),  Riksdagen (2), AP News, Politico, Lagrådet

Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, burned a copy of the Quran at a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. Paludan is a citizen of both Sweden and Denmark. The Swedish Security Service has warned that Sweden may be vulnerable to increased security threats in response to the Quran burning. Paludan had earlier organized Quran-burning provocations in 2022, sparking riots, as well as protests by the Swedish Muslim community.

Sources: The Local Sweden, Dagens Nyheter,  The Local Denmark

A constitutional amendment entered into force, geared towards restricting freedom of association for groups deemed to be engaging in terrorism. The Swedish Ministry of Justice has said that the amendments will pave the way for further anti-terror legislation, including towards a broader criminalization of participation in a terrorist organization. Analysts have argued that potential risks can arise in the application of the amendment since it does not explicitly state how terrorism should be classified. Turkey has demanded tougher anti-terror laws as a condition for approving Sweden’s application to NATO.

Sources: Swedish Ministry of Justice, SVT, The Local Sweden, Swedish Riksdag

A new espionage law, which creates offences of “foreign espionage,” “aggravated foreign espionage” and “disclosing secret information in international cooperation,” has passed with a large majority in Sweden’s Parliament. The law will require changes in Sweden’s press and freedom of expression legislation. Disclosing secret information in specific situations related to Sweden’s international cooperation that could harm the country’s relationship with international organizations or other countries, could be a punishable crime. Jessica Wetterling, a Left Party Member of Parliament, argued that the new law will lead to uncertainty, self-censorship and will impact whistleblowing.

Sources: The Local, Sveriges Riksdag

Following the results of the 2022 parliamentary election, Sweden’s parliament has elected Moderate Party’s Ulf Kristersson as Prime Minister. Although Kristersson’s party came in as the third largest vote winner in the election, his government – consisting of three centre-right coalition members – was formed with the agreement and support of the Sweden Democrats, a far-right anti-immigration party that came second in the election. The right-wing block will have 176 seats in Parliament, as opposed to the 173 seats of the left-wing.

Sources: Al Jazeera