Sweden
Sweden has dedicated counterterrorism provisions in its domestic criminal law with a new Act adopted in 2022. A constitutional amendment entered into force on 1 January 2023 to allow limitations on freedom of association for groups engaged in terrorism.
The Definition of Terrorism in Domestic Law
Terrorism is defined in Section 2 of the 2022 Terrorism Act as follows:
(a) public destruction, serious crime, and the spreading of poison or infection;
(b) a willful offence concerning nuclear activities and corresponding serious crimes, and
(c) an intentional crime under the Chapter 9 of the Criminal Code.
For terrorist offences, anyone who commits or attempts to commit a willful offence of terrorism is guilty of an offence. This is where:
- the act can seriously harm a country or an intergovernmental organization, and
- the act is committed with the intention of:
(a) instilling serious fear in a population or part of a population,
(b) unduly coercing a public body or intergovernmental organisation to take or refrain from taking an action, or
(c) seriously destabilising or destroying fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or intergovernmental organisation.S. 4, 2022 Terrorist Act.
Adherence to Global and Regional Terrorism Treaties
Sweden is a State Party to all of the main United Nations treaties on terrorism.
| Treaty | Adherence |
|---|---|
| 1973 Convention on Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons | State Party |
| 1979 Hostage-Taking Convention | State Party |
| 1997 Terrorist Bombings Convention | State Party |
| 1999 Terrorist Financing Convention | State Party |
| 2005 Nuclear Terrorism Convention | State Party |
Sweden is also a State Party to three of the four regional treaties on terrorism.
| Treaty | Adherence |
|---|---|
| 1977 European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism | State Party |
| 2003 Protocol amending the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism | Signatory |
| 2005 Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism | State Party |
| 2015 Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism | State Party |
In adhering to the 2005 Convention, Sweden reserved the right "to, in relation to other States than the Member States of the European Union and Norway and Iceland, as a ground to refuse a request for extradition, invoke that the offence referred to in the request concerns a political offence, an offence connected with a political offence or an offence inspired by political motives".
Laws and Penalties for Terrorist Offences
The maximum sentence for terrorist offences is life imprisonment.
Under Section 4 of the 2022 Act, punishment is imprisonment for a fixed term, a minimum of four and a maximum of eighteen years, or for life.
If the offence is less serious, the person is sentenced to imprisonment for a minimum of two and a maximum of six years.
A constitutional amendment that entered into force on 1 January 2023 allows limitations on freedom of association for groups engaged in terrorism.
Counterterrorism Capacities and Policies at Domestic Level
Sweden has a detailed counterterrorism strategy in place since 2015.
Sweden has dedicated counterterrorism expertise in its national police.
Glossary
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