Status: 12/19/2022 3:40 p.m
In Sweden, the Supreme Court has rejected the extradition of Turkish journalist Kenes. President Erdogan had named this as a condition for his approval of the Scandinavian country joining NATO.
Sweden’s Supreme Court has barred the extradition of an exiled journalist to Turkey. The court said there were several obstacles to the extradition of Bülent Kenes. Because of the man’s political views, there is also a risk of persecution, explained one of the judges involved, Petter Asp. “So extradition cannot take place.”
The Swedish Attorney General had previously spoken out against the extradition, and the Supreme Court now followed this line. The court’s assessment means that the Swedish government, which ultimately decides on such issues, has no way of approving the extradition request.
2016 Escape to Sweden
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had personally called for the journalist’s extradition, citing this as a condition of his approval of Sweden’s entry into NATO. Turkish authorities have accused Kenes of being a member of the Gülen movement and having been involved in the failed coup attempt in 2016.
Kenes fled to Sweden in 2016, where he was granted political asylum. He was editor-in-chief of the English-language newspaper “Today’s Zaman”, against which the Turkish state took action after the attempted coup. According to the Swedish news agency TT, Kenes was also given a suspended prison sentence seven years ago for allegedly denigrating Erdogan on Twitter.
“I’m a journalist, not a terrorist”
In its decision, the court now confirmed the journalist’s status as a refugee. The accusations made by the Turkish side, as well as membership in the movement of the preacher Fethullah Gülen, did not allow them to be considered sufficient grounds for extradition.
In a first reaction, Kenes expressed relief. He accused the Erdogan government of fabricating the allegations against him. “I’m a journalist and not a terrorist,” he said. It is obvious that Ankara wants to make his life as difficult as possible.
Extradition of dozens of people demanded
Sweden and neighboring Finland had applied for NATO membership in May as part of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. However, as a member of the alliance, Turkey is blocking the accession of the two countries and, among other things, is demanding that they step up the fight against “terrorists”.
Part of Erdogan’s demands is the extradition of dozens of people. The extradition of opposition figures and Kurdish activists who have found refuge in Sweden is one of the most sensitive issues in the accession effort.