Torture by Police, Forced Disappearance & Other Ill Treatment In the early years of the 21st Century, 2000 to
2025 gvnet.com/torture/Sweden.htm
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CAUTION: The following links
have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Sweden. Some of these links may lead to websites
that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false. No
attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on
this page and others to see which aspects of Torture by Authorities are of
particular interest to you. You might
be interested in exploring the moral justification for inflicting pain or
inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment in order to obtain critical
information that may save countless lives, or to elicit a confession for a
criminal act, or to punish someone to teach him a lesson outside of the
courtroom. Perhaps your paper might
focus on some of the methods of torture, like fear, extreme temperatures,
starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, suffocation, or immersion in freezing
water. On the other hand, you might
choose to write about the people acting in an official capacity who
perpetrate such cruelty. There is a
lot to the subject of Torture by Authorities.
Scan other countries as well as this one. Draw comparisons between activity in
adjacent countries and/or regions.
Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. ***
ARCHIVES *** Council
of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Sweden Executive Summary,
CPT/Inf (2021) 20 - Part [accessed 9
September 2021] POLICE
ESTABLISHMENTS
-- However, as regards the fundamental legal safeguards against ill-treatment
by the police, namely the right of detained persons to inform a close
relative or another third party of their situation (notification of custody),
to have access to a lawyer, and to have access to a doctor, the Committee is
concerned to observe remaining shortcomings regarding their implementation. ESTABLISHMENTS FOR
FOREIGN NATIONALS DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY UNDER ALIENS LEGISLATION -- The Committee
is concerned by the fact that, despite its long-standing recommendation,
foreign nationals detained pursuant to aliens legislation could still be held
in prisons. The CPT must stress once again that, in those cases where it is
considered necessary to deprive persons of their liberty under the aliens legislation, they should be accommodated in centres specifically designed for that purpose, offering
material conditions and a regime appropriate to their legal situation. 2020 Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices: Sweden U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, 30 March 2021 www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/sweden/
[accessed 9 August
2021] TORTURE AND OTHER
CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT The constitution
and law prohibit such practices, and there were no reports that government
officials employed them. Freedom House
Country Report 2018 Edition freedomhouse.org/country/sweden/freedom-world/2018 [accessed 18 May
2020] F3. IS THERE
PROTECTION FROM THE ILLEGITIMATE USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE AND FREEDOM FROM WAR
AND INSURGENCIES? Conditions in
prisons and temporary detention facilities are adequate, but concerns have
been raised against excessive use of long detention periods. UN Committee
against Torture’s Concluding Observations on Sweden, Ukraine, Venezuela,
Australia, Burundi, USA, Croatia and Kazakhstan Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights OHCHR, Geneva, 24 November 2014 www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15336&LangID=E [accessed 7 December
2014] The UN Committee
against Torture will be holding a news conference to discuss the concluding
observations of its 53rd session ... Among the issues discussed during the
session: SWEDEN: Restrictions on
remand prisoners; excessive length of pre-trial detention; wide use of
solitary confinement; no separate juvenile justice system; coercive measures,
including physical restraints and isolation in psychiatric institutions and
hospitals; detention of asylum seekers and irregular immigrants; race hate
crimes; absence of definition of torture as defined in the Convention against
Torture. 'Torture-like'
conditions for kids in Swedish jails The Local - Sweden's
News in English, 19 Mar 2013 www.thelocal.se/46822/20130319/ [accessed 15
Aug 2013] www.thelocal.se/20130319/46822 [accessed 7 August
2017] Children in Sweden
detained on criminal suspicions are rarely afforded any human contact and
subject to isolation akin to torture, according to a new report. "Our in-depth
analysis shows that children are routinely isolated while under arrest or
being held on remand and are held shielded from social human contact for 22
or more of a day's 24 hours," Fredrik Malmberg,
Sweden's Ombudsman for Children (Barnombudsmannen)
told the TT news agency. Malmberg, who on Tuesday
presented a report to the government detailing conditions facing children
held on remand, said he was upset that prosecutors often decide to keep
children longer than the standard six hours. According to
figures from the ombudsman's investigation, children were held under arrest
on at least 3,118 occasions in 2011, although it's unclear how many of the
cases resulted in further detention. Report to the
Swedish Government on the visit to Sweden European Committee
for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (CPT), Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 11 December 2009 www.refworld.org/docid/4b22089c2.html [accessed 26 March
2014] II. FACTS FOUND
DURING THE VISIT AND ACTION PROPOSED ILL-TREATMENT - 9. The overwhelming majority of the persons
met by the CPT's delegation during the 2009 visit who were, or had recently
been, detained by the police, indicated that they had been correctly treated.
Nevertheless, the delegation heard a few isolated allegations of physical
ill-treatment by police officers. For example, two persons alleged that, in
the context of their apprehension, they had been thrown to the ground and
handcuffed, after which police officers had proceeded to punch and kick them.
Another person alleged that following his apprehension the preceding day, a
police officer had thrust his head against the concrete cell floor, as a
result of which one of his front teeth had been damaged; he had apparently
lodged a complaint. On examination by a medical member of the delegation, the
person concerned displayed a chipped left upper first tooth. Conclusions and
recommendations of the Committee against Torture U.N. Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment -- Doc. CAT/C/SWE/CO/5
(2008) www1.umn.edu/humanrts/cat/observations/sweden2008.html [accessed 6 March
2013] Statute of
limitations 10. The Committee notes
with concern that the offence of torture, which as such does not exist in the
Swedish Criminal Code, is punishable under other provisions of the Criminal
Code, and is, therefore, subject to the statute of limitations. While noting
information provided by the delegation that a review of the statute of
limitations will be conducted, the Committee is concerned that the statute of
limitations applicable to provisions of the Criminal Code may prevent
investigation, prosecution and punishment of these grave crimes, in
particular when the punishable act has been committed abroad. Taking into account the grave nature of
acts of torture, the Committee is of the view that acts of torture cannot be
subject to any statute of limitations. (arts. 1, 4 and 12) Fundamental
safeguards 11. The Committee
notes with appreciation the new legislation on fundamental safeguards that
entered into force on 1 April 2008 in respect of access to a lawyer and
notification of custody. However, it is concerned that a public defence counsel will only be appointed once the person is
considered to be a suspect. The Committee regrets that Swedish legislation
does not include a legal provision on access to a doctor and that a request
to see a doctor is evaluated by, and therefore left to the discretion of, the
police officer in charge. It further regrets reports that notification of
custody is not systematically delivered to family members and is frequently
delayed with reference to possible interference with the investigation. The
Committee notes that an information leaflet on the fundamental rights
afforded to persons suspected of a crime and therefore detained and deprived
of his or her liberty has been produced by the National Police Board, in
cooperation with the Swedish Prosecution Service, and that this leaflet is
currently being translated into the most commonly used languages. (arts. 2,
11, 13 and 16). Cases Involving
Diplomatic Assurances against Torture
Human Rights Watch,
24 January 2007 www.hrw.org/node/77209/section/8 [accessed 12
February 2013] MOHAMMED AL-ZARI AND
AHMED AGIZA (Update)
- Asylum seekers Mohammed al-Zari and Ahmed Agiza
were transferred from Stockholm to Cairo in December 2001 aboard a United
States government-leased airplane. The government of Sweden expelled al-Zari
and Agiza, both suspected of terrorist activities,
following written assurances from the Egyptian authorities that they would
not be subject to the death penalty, tortured, or ill-treated, and would
receive fair trials. Swedish and Egyptian authorities also agreed on a
post-return monitoring mechanism involving visits to the men in prison. Agiza and al-Zari were
held incommunicado for five weeks after their return. Despite monthly visits
thereafter by Swedish diplomats, none of them in private, both men credibly
alleged to their lawyers and family members-and, indeed, to Swedish diplomats
as well-that they had been tortured and ill-treated in detention. Agiza remains in prison to date after a patently unfair
retrial in April 2004.[38] Al-Zari was released without charge or trial in
October 2003 and remains under surveillance by Egyptian security forces, and
reports regularly to the police. He is not permitted to speak with
journalists or human rights groups. The UN Human Rights
Committee in November 2006 concluded that Sweden's involvement in the US
transfer of Mohammed al-Zari to Egypt breached the absolute ban on torture,
despite assurances of humane treatment provided by Egyptian authorities prior
to the rendition. The committee stated that Sweden "has not shown that
the diplomatic assurances procured were in fact sufficient in the present
case to eliminate the risk of ill-treatment to a level consistent" with
the ban on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment. AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL From an old article -- URL not available Article was
published sometime prior to 2015 TORTURE AND OTHER
ILL-TREATMENT
- In December, Ahmed Agiza rejoined his family in
Sweden after the authorities granted his application for a residence permit.
Ahmed Agiza was detained with Mohammed al-Zari in
Sweden in December 2001 and subjected to rendition from Sweden to Egypt on a
CIA-leased plane. Both men were subsequently tortured and otherwise
ill-treated while being held in Egypt. In 2008, the Swedish government
awarded both men financial compensation for the human rights violations they
suffered. Ahmed Agiza was released from prison in
Cairo, Egypt, in 2011, having been held for over nine years after an unfair
trial before a military court. Awarding Ahmed Agiza
a residence permit contributed to ensuring that his right to redress for the
human rights violations he has suffered is fulfilled. However, an effective,
impartial, thorough and independent investigation into these violations
remained outstanding. Search … AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL For more
articles:: Search Amnesty
International’s website www.amnesty.org/en/search/?q=sweden+torture&ref=&year=&lang=en&adv=1&sort=relevance [accessed 14 January 2019] Scroll
Down ***
EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE *** Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61677.htm [accessed 12 February
2013] 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61677.htm [accessed 7 July
2019] TORTURE
AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT – The law prohibits
such practices; however, there were isolated reports that government
officials employed them. In May a court
convicted two police officers for assault and excessive violence against a
64-year-old man. The court sentenced each of the officers to three-months' imprisonment and dismissed them from the
police force. In September authorities initiated investigations against three
police officers accused of use of excessive violence during a confrontation
near Stockholm in September. The investigations were ongoing at year's end. Freedom House
Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free 2009 Edition www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2009/sweden [accessed 12
February 2013] LONG
URL ç 2009 Country Reports begin on Page 21 [accessed 13 May
2020] The judiciary is
independent. The government maintains effective control of the police and
armed forces. Swedish prisons generally meet international standards,
although overcrowding and lengthy pretrial detentions sometimes occur. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT
ARTICLES. Cite this
webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Torture by Police, Forced Disappearance
& Other Ill Treatment in the early years of the 21st Century-
Sweden", http://gvnet.com/torture/Sweden.htm, [accessed <date>] |
