Government: It will be a criminal offense to “participate in a terrorist organization”

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Published 2 February 2023 at 10.04

Domestic. To “participate in and finance participation in a terrorist organization” should be punishable. That is what the government is proposing today.

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In a legislative council referral, the government proposes a special criminal liability for anyone who participates in the activities of a terrorist organization in a way that is intended to promote, strengthen or support the terrorist organization.

It is also proposed to be it is punishable to finance participation in a terrorist organization, to publicly encourage and recruit for the crime and to travel abroad with the intention of committing the crime.

– Sweden has an elevated terrorist threat that must be taken very seriously. Now the government is putting forward a bill which means that both participation in and financing of participation in terrorist organizations will be punishable. It is generally about harsh punishments, and for those who have led a terrorist organization the consequence can be life imprisonment, says Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) at a press conference.

The penalty scale is proposed to be imprisonment for a maximum of four years. If the crime is serious, the penalty scale is proposed to be imprisonment for a minimum of two and a maximum of eight years. If the perpetrator led the terrorist organization, the punishment scale is instead proposed to be imprisonment for a certain period, minimum two and maximum eighteen years, or for life.

In principle, all forms of support to a terrorist organization, regardless of whether it is material assistance or assistance in the form of participation in the activity, contributes to maintaining and strengthening the organization and thus its ability to commit terrorist crimes. In order to further improve the possibilities of preventing and combating terrorism, the government therefore proposes that the criminal terrorism legislation be tightened by introducing a special penalty provision for participation in a terrorist organization.

The legislative referral is decided today, February 2, 2023. The bill is planned to be submitted on March 7 this year and the changes to the law are proposed to enter into force on June 1, 2023.

In January, Gunnar Strömmer said that he believes gang criminals should be considered “domestic terrorists”.