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Friday, August 1, 2025

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This article was published 2 years ago

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/iranian-swedish-prisoner-swap-possible/

Sweden

Iranian-Swedish prisoner swap possible

Published 21 December 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Hamid Noury, Ahmadreza Djalal and Johan Floderus.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

According to several media reports, Iran wants to repatriate Hamid Noury, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Swedish district court for his role in the mass execution of imprisoned political prisoners in 1988.

In exchange for Noury’s return to Iran, the regime will release Swedish EU official Johan Floderus and Swedish-Iranian researcher Ahmadreza Dhalali, both of whom are imprisoned for alleged espionage and face execution.

According to Swedish news agency TT, there are “growing indications” that the Iranian leadership wants Noury released through a prisoner swap with the two Swedes, and it is believed that EU official Floderus was arrested during a vacation trip with the specific purpose of later being exchanged for Noury. Sweden has never conducted a prisoner exchange in modern times, but there are no legal obstacles to doing so.

Hamid Noury was arrested at Arlanda Airport in 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment for his alleged “central role” in the mass executions of thousands of imprisoned Iranian dissidents who were accused of having links to the People’s Mujahedin Organization, which was fighting the Iranian regime at the time. On Tuesday afternoon, the Court of Appeals will deliver its verdict, and all indications are that the sentences will be upheld.

In the meantime, Iran has imprisoned two Swedish citizens. Johan Floderus, a Swedish EU official who has been accused of espionage since his arrest during a holiday trip last year and faces the death penalty, and Ahmadreza Djalali, a doctor and researcher who was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to death for espionage and “corruption on earth”.

– It is clear that Iran is linking the fate of Hamid Noury to these two imprisoned Swedish citizens, said Maja Åberg, an Amnesty International expert.

Two alternatives

It should be noted that just last summer Iran carried out a prisoner exchange with Belgium, releasing four Belgian citizens in exchange for an Iranian diplomat convicted of terrorism-related crimes.

According to international law professor Pål Wrange, there are now two ways for the Swedish government to carry out a prisoner exchange. Either the government decides to pardon – and Noury is released in Sweden. Or it decides to let him serve his sentence in Iran, after which he will be handed over to the Iranian authorities and in all likelihood become a free man.

– On the one hand, this is a person who has been convicted of very serious crimes, and there are many Iranians in Sweden who have an interest in him serving his sentence, including relatives of people killed in the massacres. On the other side of the scale are the lives of two seemingly innocent people, he says.

– The government could pardon Noury. But I don’t think it will happen, it’s politically impossible, Mark Klamberg, an international law professor, told AFP in an interview.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-prime-minister-ulf-kristersson-reported-to-police-for-child-trafficking/

Sweden

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reported to police for child trafficking

Published today 17:45
– By Editorial Staff
The report, which concerns suspicions of human trafficking and serious document forgery, has been submitted by criminologist and former criminal investigator Jenny Rogneby.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish Prime Minister is accused of human trafficking and aggravated document forgery linked to his previous role as chairman of Adoptionscentrum (Swedish adoption agency). Jenny Rogneby, who is herself adopted from Ethiopia, has filed the report and argues that extensive misconduct has been overlooked for decades.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate Party has been reported to police for his involvement in Sweden’s international adoption operations. The report, which includes suspicions of human trafficking and aggravated document forgery, has been filed by criminologist and former criminal investigator Jenny Rogneby.

Rogneby, who is herself adopted from Ethiopia, points to Kristersson’s role as chairman of Adoptionscentrum between 2003 and 2005. During this period, the number of adoptions from China doubled, while warning signals about misconduct had already begun to emerge.

— This is about child trafficking, forgeries, official misconduct and other serious crimes where many have been affected – but where no one has yet been held accountable, Jenny Rogneby tells Dagens ETC.

Several actors reported to police

The police report targets multiple actors within the adoption sector, not only the Prime Minister. Among those reported are Adoptionscentrum’s management, the Swedish Authority for Family Law and Parental Support (MFoF), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and private adoption agencies.

The background to the report is the state adoption commission’s investigation, which showed that Swedish actors had knowledge of serious misconduct within adoption operations for several decades. Despite this, the operations were allowed to continue without intervention, according to Rogneby.

Serious allegations of child trafficking

In an Instagram post, Rogneby describes the scope of the alleged misconduct: “Children have been declared dead despite being alive, kidnapped, registered as abandoned and sold – and subsequently adopted to Sweden under false premises.”

She claims that the state investigation contains extensive documentation showing how false documents were used, how consent was lacking or obtained under misleading circumstances, and that financial incentives played a decisive role in adoption processes in several cases.

“These are very serious circumstances that, in my assessment, should be examined legally,” she writes to Dagens ETC.

The adoption commission’s report has previously led Sweden to halt international adoptions from several countries and tighten control of adoption operations.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/wave-of-home-burglaries-hits-southern-sweden/

Sweden

Wave of home burglaries hits southern Sweden

Deteriorating safety

Published yesterday 12:34
– By Editorial Staff
A residential area in Stockholm, Sweden. NOTE: The image is an archive photo and is not connected to the text.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A wave of well-planned home burglaries has swept across southern Sweden during July. Swedish police suspect that organized gangs are behind the crimes and are now urging the public to increase vigilance.

During July, Sweden has been hit by an unusually extensive wave of home burglaries with between 45 and 50 reported cases. The crimes are spread across the West, South and East police regions, and most of the break-ins have been carried out in a similar manner, leading police to suspect that an organized gang is behind them.

The perpetrators have often gained entry by lifting out entire window frames. They have then hung up sheets indoors to conceal their presence, sorted stolen goods on beds and focused on taking jewelry and cash.

Break-ins where windows are lifted out is a well-known method, which often occurs in residential villa areas. Similar shoe prints left at multiple locations strengthen suspicions that the same group may be behind a large number of the crimes.

Professional gangs

Swedish police assess that these are professional perpetrators with good knowledge of alarms and locking devices. At least two people have likely participated in each break-in. In some cases, the properties have been surveilled in advance, indicating that the crimes were carefully planned.

– These are professional and organized gangs behind these crimes. We believe that at least two perpetrators were involved in each break-in. And in some cases we suspect they visited the locations and conducted surveillance some time before the actual break-in, says Lina Carlshamre, crime analyst at the crime coordination unit in the West police region, in a press release.

In response to this development, Swedish police have strengthened cooperation between the affected regions. The authorities are now urging villa owners to be extra vigilant – especially during vacation periods when many homes stand empty.

They emphasize the importance of maintaining contact with neighbors and reporting suspicious behavior. According to crime analysts, the motto is: better once too often than once too little.

Despite the fact that the number of residential burglaries has decreased somewhat in the country in recent years, July’s statistics show that the threat to villa owners remains.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-minister-condemns-israels-annexation-plans-for-gaza/

Sweden

Swedish minister condemns Israel’s annexation plans for Gaza

The genocide in Gaza

Published 30 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Sweden’s development aid minister Benjamin Dousa (Moderate Party) reacts sharply to reports that Israel plans to annex parts of the Gaza Strip with support from US President Donald Trump. According to Israeli media, the plans are to be presented if Hamas does not release its hostages.

According to reports in Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing an annexation plan that would receive American support. The Swedish government strongly distances itself from these plans.

— We strongly condemn any potential plans to annex Palestinian territory. This would clearly violate international law, Dousa tells Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.

The development aid minister also criticizes American support for the annexation and believes it would have devastating international consequences. He describes how the Israeli government has “radicalized during the spring and summer” in an unexpected way.

Criticism of humanitarian situation

The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza also draws strong criticism from Dousa. Reports of mass starvation have reached Sweden, and the development aid minister accuses Israel of not living up to international humanitarian principles.

— It is obvious that Israel is not living up to international humanitarian principles. They are letting in too little humanitarian aid, he says.

Dousa describes the handling as a “complete logistical disaster”, pointing to chaotic scenes with injuries and deaths as a result of Israel’s actions.

Sweden has summoned the Israeli ambassador and is pushing for EU sanctions against violent settlers in the West Bank. The government is also open to supporting international initiatives for airlifts to Gaza, but prefers truck transport via the UN for larger volumes.

— The homes of Gaza residents belong to Gaza residents. It is not up to Israel or the USA to redraw the map as they please, Dousa emphasizes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Facts about annexation and international law

International law prohibits the annexation of another country's territory. According to international law, annexation means that a state takes control over another state's territory through violence or coercion, which is an illegal act that must not be recognized by other states. This is seen as a "flagrant violation of international law", and there is no legal provision that justifies such annexation.

The UN Charter, which forms a fundamental part of international law, protects states' territorial integrity and political independence through prohibitions against acts of aggression and intervention in other states' internal affairs (articles 2.4 and 2.7). These principles mean that a state may not interfere in how another state is governed or take control over its territory.

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/only-one-ambulance-on-duty-in-central-stockholm/

Sweden

Only one ambulance on duty in central Stockholm

Deteriorating safety

Published 24 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
"I would say it has never been as bad as it is now, not even during the pandemic", according to the chief safety representative for ambulance services.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

On Tuesday evening, only one ambulance was on duty in central Stockholm, Sweden. The cause is staff shortage. Now the opposition demands that the red-green regional council produce a crisis plan.

At the city station in Stockholm, there are normally four ambulances, but during the week only one of these was in service. According to Emil Skoglund, chief safety representative for ambulance services in Stockholm, the situation is the worst ever.

— We receive between 30 to 40 text messages daily about vacant shifts. We have parked vehicles everywhere. I would say it has never been as bad as it is now, not even during the pandemic, he tells the Schibsted-owned tabloid Aftonbladet.

Skoglund warns that the staff shortage poses a direct threat to Stockholm residents’ safety and that there is a risk that seriously injured or ill people will not receive ambulance service in time. He points to changed working conditions and drastically reduced starting salaries as the main causes.

Emil Skoglund is chief safety representative for ambulance services in Stockholm. Photo: private

Operations manager downplays the crisis

Jani Sundqvist, operations manager for AISAB which is responsible for ambulance services in Stockholm region, has a less dramatic view of the situation. He refers to the system of “borderless dispatch” which means that ambulances from other stations can provide coverage.

— It’s not the case that the area covered by the city station only has one vehicle, explains Sundqvist, who hopes that a new collective agreement this autumn will improve the situation.

Opposition demands crisis plan

The Moderate Party’s opposition regional councilor Kristoffer Tamsons is harshly critical.

— It is completely unacceptable that Sweden’s capital finds itself in a situation where one ambulance is supposed to serve hundreds of people. It is a threat to people’s lives and health, he says.

The Moderate Party demands that regional councilor Talla Alkurdi (Social Democrat) convene the regional board to produce a crisis plan. On Wednesday morning, Alkurdi held a crisis meeting with the Swedish Association of Health Professionals Stockholm.

Stockholm Region is governed by a coalition between the Social Democrats, Centre Party and Green Party, with support from the Left Party.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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