Stockholm court gives Salwan Najem, whose co-defendant was shot dead last week, suspended sentence and fine

Summary

A Stockholm court convicted Salwan Najem of incitement against an ethnic group for his role in Qur’an burnings in 2023, sentencing him to a fine and suspended sentence.

His co-defendant, Salwan Momika, was shot dead last week, sparking concerns of foreign involvement.

The protests strained Sweden’s relations with Muslim countries and fueled debate over free speech limits.

The government had considered banning Qur’an burnings but is no longer planning immediate action. Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, partly fearing diplomatic fallout over the burnings could affect its bid.

  • anamethatisnt@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    15 hours ago

    Note that the Qur’an burnings is not what they were on trial for, but for what was said during the events.
    Also, Tingsrätten is filled with laymen and almost always appealed in these kind of cases.

    Criticism: Bundling together

    Freedom of expression expert Nils Funcke believes that there are still question marks about how far freedom of expression extends.

    – If you look at what Momika and Najem say in the transcription found in the preliminary investigation, I would say that Najem speaks about the Koran, about Muhammad and about the religion of Islam, and I think that falls within a broad freedom of expression.
    I think that Najem and Momika’s statements are lumped together and thus Najem is blamed for what Momika said.

    According to Mark Safaryan, Salwan Najem’s lawyer, the verdict will be appealed.

    https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/stockholm/nu-faller-domen-efter-koranbranningar-i-stockholm