Sweden has charged two males with inciting ethnic hatred over their Quran-burning protests in 2023 that triggered outrage in Muslim-majority nations.
Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned the Quran at a slew of protests and co-protester Salwan Najem have been charged Wednesday with “agitation against an ethnic group” on 4 events in the summertime of 2023.
“Both men are prosecuted for having on these four occasions made statements and treated the Quran in a manner intended to express contempt for Muslims because of their faith,” Senior Prosecutor Anna Hankkio mentioned in a press release.
According to the cost sheet, the duo desecrated the Quran, together with burning it, whereas making derogatory remarks about Muslims – in a single case exterior a Stockholm mosque.
“In my opinion, the men’s statements and actions fall under the provisions on agitation against an ethnic or national group and it is important that this matter is tried in court,” the prosecutor added.
Relations between Sweden and a number of other Middle Eastern nations have been strained by the pair’s protests.
Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July 2023, beginning fires inside the compound on the second event.
In August final 12 months, Sweden’s intelligence service Sapo raised its risk degree to 4 on a scale of 5 after the Quran burnings had made the nation a “prioritized target.”
The Swedish authorities condemned the desecrations whereas noting the nation’s constitutionally protected freedom of speech and meeting legal guidelines.
Earlier this month, prosecutors charged Swedish-Danish right-wing activist Rasmus Paludan with the identical crime over a 2022 protest within the southern metropolis of Malmo, which additionally included burning the Quran.
In October 2023, a Swedish court docket convicted a person of inciting ethnic hatred with a 2020 Quran burning, the primary time the nation’s court docket system had tried the cost for desecrating Islam’s holy guide.
Prosecutors have beforehand mentioned that underneath Swedish regulation, the burning of a Quran may be seen as a critique of the guide and the faith, and thus be protected underneath free speech.
However, relying on the context and statements made on the time, it can be thought of “agitation against an ethnic group.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com