Sweden’s Supreme Court has barred the government from extraditing to Turkey Bülent Kenesh, former editor-in-chief of the Zaman newspaper, whom Tayyip Recep Erdogan’s regime believes was involved in the 2016 coup attempt.
The verdict notes that some of the acts that Kenesh is accused of in Turkey are not considered crimes at all under Swedish law. The court ruled that the persecution is political in nature, and this does not allow depriving the journalist of refugee status.
The extradition of the Kenesh and other opposition political activists is a condition for Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s request to join NATO. The Swedish authorities have repeatedly reminded Ankara of the independence of the judiciary in Sweden and that it is the court that has the final say in this matter.