Swedish intellectuals: “Don’t let the new laws lead to a manhunt of Kurds”

A group of Swedish intellectuals, consisting of journalists, writers, authors and human rights defenders, published an article on a new draft bill, which will be debated in Sweden on 3 May. In an op-ed published in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, intellectuals urge members of parliament to think carefully before passing the law.

The signatories of the statement express their disapproval of the Swedish measures: “To our dismay, the last two Swedish governments have taken a series of measures to appease Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has a firm grip on the legislative, judicial, and executive powers.” The writing continues with a list of Swedish foreign policy concessions. The listed concessions are as follows:

At the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022, Sweden and Finland pledged in a memorandum to “combat disinformation and prevent the misuse of domestic legislation for the benefit or promotion of terrorist organizations”.

At the end of September, the Inspectorate of Strategic Products (ISP) again approved the export of Swedish products as military equipment to Türkiye, which is repeatedly waging war against its neighbors.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristensen visited Erdogan’s palace in Ankara last fall and paid tribute to a despot.

In the days before the Prime Minister’s visit, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström had distanced himself from the Kurdish liberation organization’s People’s Defense Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syrian Kurdistan, which have successfully fought against the world’s most dangerous terrorist movement, Daesh/ISIS, on the ground.

Two Kurds were recently deported to Turkey via Arlanda. The deportation of persecuted Kurds was met with surprise and shock in the Western world. On the Swedish radio program “Conflict”, several prominent Western lawyers pointed out that the deportation of Kurds in need of protection is unlawful.

In addition, the government’s chief negotiator makes people with a Kurdish background suspicious in various statements.

The intellectuals state that the Turkish president is using the Turkish veto in NATO to further increase repression against the Kurds. They call the attitude of the president “an aggressive rhetoric against Sweden”. As a result, Türkiye has increased the number of people to be extradited from Sweden from 33 to 130.

On May 3, the Swedish Parliament is expected to make it a criminal offense to “provide equipment, organize activities and be responsible for transport for a terrorist organization”. The writers of the op-ed express their concerns in the following words: “We are concerned about the rule of law in Sweden. We fear that the new law will affect Kurds and Swedish-Kurdish associations that focus mainly on culture and language – civil rights that Turkey has suppressed for almost a hundred years.” The statement ends with an appeal to all members of the parliament in Sweden: “Think again when you, as an elected representative, press the button tomorrow.”