As Sweden’s attempt to join NATO has been stalled due to Turkish objections, the government proposed a new law to prohibit activities that support terrorist organizations.
The law, which has been in the works for five years, will give the Nordic nation a new tool to counter any Turkish claims that it doesn’t do enough to fight terrorism. Throughout the months-long NATO enlargement process, Turkey has specifically opposed Sweden, though its demands have changed.
The regulation necessities a close down from parliament before it can go into force on June 1 — soon after the Turkish races, which are viewed as a watershed for the cycle. This is because it is widely believed that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using the issue to win votes and convince allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to work with his country to fight terrorism.
According to Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer, who presented it on Thursday in Stockholm, participation in a terrorist organization with the intention of promoting, strengthening, or supporting the group in question would be prohibited under the proposed Swedish law.
Strommer stated, “This is a far-reaching law that basically covers all cases of participation in these kinds of activities.” The current law states that in order for an activity to be illegal, it must be connected to a specific terrorist act. However, this law is focused on participation, making it much more expansive and effective.
The law is the result of years of work to strengthen laws against terrorism that began after a truck killed five people when it drove through Stockholm’s main pedestrian shopping street in 2017 and builds on constitutional amendments that went into effect on January 1.
The proposal comes at a time when Turkey has refused to ratify Sweden and Finland’s applications to join the defense alliance. Turkey’s initial criticism was centered on what it claimed was a lack of efforts to combat terrorist organizations.
In the memorandum signed by all three nations in June of last year, Sweden stated that it was preparing to further tighten its anti-terrorism laws. The bill that was passed on Thursday was hailed by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as an “important step” in the country’s efforts to fulfill its pledges.
At a news conference with Sanna Marin, his Finnish counterpart, Kristersson stated, “This is a cornerstone in Sweden’s long-term commitment to counter terrorism, regardless of whether it aims to hurt Sweden or other countries.” We will continue to implement the memorandum because we have delivered tangible results on all of its components.
Since Sweden and Finland submitted their applications, 28 out of 30 NATO members have ratified their entry, demonstrating that the Nordic nations meet the membership requirements. NATO ambassadors have expected to finish the amplification in time for the collusion’s highest point in Vilnius in July.
In the mean time, Turkey’s requests have moved, with Erdogan’s way of talking zeroing in to a greater degree toward an occurrence where a Danish extreme right dissident, Rasmus Paludan, consumed a deciphered duplicate of the Koran close to Turkey’s consulate in Stockholm. Erdogan ruled out supporting Sweden’s NATO application as a result of the move, and the Turkish president referred to the incident as a “hate crime” on Thursday.
“We anticipate that Sweden should regard the convictions of all gatherings living in the nation and to make genuine strides in the battle against Islamophobia,” Erdogan said in a meeting with state telecaster TRT. ” We cannot accept Sweden’s continued complicity in the attack on our holy book.
Strommer did not say whether the bill could affect the NATO process, but he did say that the new law would give Sweden “much more forceful tools against all organizations engaged in terrorism” and that it would “considerably enhance” its ability to fight terrorism.
In an interview with Dagens Nyheter on Wednesday, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said that his government will not compromise on the country’s freedom of expression laws. He also stressed that the memorandum that was reached last year with Turkey and Finland does not mention religious issues.
