10 Aug 12 | Europe and Central Asia
This week Belarus asked the Swedish diplomatic mission to leave the country and recalled its own embassy from Stockholm. What sparked this international incident? That would be teddy bears. Small, cuddly soft toys.
Alexander Lukashenko, Europe’s last dictator, was angered by a July incident which involved a small aircraft piloted by employees of a Swedish advertising firm entering Belarusian airspace before dropping dozens of teddy bears carrying free speech slogans.
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14 Jun 12 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been denied a request to re-open his appeal against extradition to Sweden. In a statement issued today, the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court said that the decision to reject the request made by Dinah Rose, Assange’s lawyer, was “unanimous”. On 30 May, the court decided to allow Assange’s extradition by a 5-2 majority. Swedish authorities want to question Assange about two sex crime allegations brought against him. The activist fears that the possible charges are “politically motivated”, and has attorneys have announced plans to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
27 Dec 11 | Index Index, minipost
An Ethiopian court has sentenced two Swedish journalists to 11 years in prison on charges of supporting terrorism after the pair illegally entered the country with an ethnic Somali rebel group.
Photojournalist Johan Persson and reporter Martin Schibbye were detained by Ethiopian security forces in July while travelling with the outlawed separatist group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, and were put on trial in October. The chairman of the Swedish Union of Journalists, Jonas Nordling, has been reported as saying that the sentence is aimed at deterring journalists from investigating alleged human rights abuses in the tense Ogaden region, adding that there is no evidence to support the pair’s conviction on terror charges.
02 Nov 11 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost his UK High Court appeal against extradition to Sweden. Assange faces accusations of rape and sexual assault after a visit to Stockholm in August 2010.
The judgement was handed down to the 40-year-old Australian by two High Court judges, following a European arrest warrant. Assange’s lawyers will take 14 days to decide whether to appeal further, and if he is denied the right to appeal, British law enforcement officers will arrange for his removal to Sweden within 10 days.
