Scandinavian Thread

[The Brain]

Can Canadian appeals courts stop a Canadian gimp fight?

[The Brain]

Meanwhile in Sweden:

Swedish court upholds life sentence in Iran executions case
By Johan Ahlander and Simon Johnson
December 19, 20234:58 PM GMT+1Updated 15 hours ago

STOCKHOLM, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A Swedish appeals court on Tuesday upheld a guilty verdict and life sentence given to a former Iranian official convicted last year for his part in a mass execution of political prisoners in Iran in 1988.

In 2022, the Stockholm District Court ruling found Hamid Noury guilty of murder and serious crimes against international law, drawing strong criticism from Iran, which said the verdict was politically motivated.

The Appeal Court's decision was greeted with cheers by several hundred protesters who had gathered outside the court, waving flags and chanting slogans calling for the end of the Iranian regime.

"It's a great day, it's a beautiful day and justice has prevailed," Abdolreza Shafie, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an opposition umbrella group, told Reuters.

Noury's lawyer could not immediately be reached for a comment.

In an interview with Iran's Fars news agency, Noury's son, Majeed Noury, said the trial was unfair adding "we will go to higher Swedish courts as well as international courts and present our evidence".

Noury is the only person so far to face trial over the killings at the Gohardasht prison in Karaj, Iran, in 1988 that targeted members of the Iranian People's Mujahideen, which was fighting in parts of Iran, as well as other political dissidents.

Amnesty International has put the number executed on government orders at around 5,000, saying in a 2018 report that "the real number could be higher". Iran has never acknowledged the killings.

Under Swedish law, courts can try Swedish citizens and other nationals for crimes against international law committed abroad.

Noury, who denied the charges, was arrested at a Stockholm airport in 2019.

The case has caused a deep rift between Sweden and Iran.

Earlier this month, an Iranian court opened the trial of a Swedish European Union employee arrested in 2022 while on holiday in the country.

Johan Floderus is charged with spying for Israel and "corruption on earth," a crime that carries the death penalty.

Sweden has requested his immediate release, calling the detention arbitrary.

Rights groups and Western governments have accused the Islamic Republic of trying to extract political concessions from other countries through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up.

Tehran says such arrests are based on its criminal code and it denies holding people for political reasons.

I don't fully understand the case. There's two parts, one about executing members of People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which the courts consider to be part of the war with Iraq, and therefore be war crimes which Sweden prosecutes globally. May or may not be a stretch, but OK I guess. But the second part (he is convicted of both war crimes and garden variety murder) is just executions unrelated to the war with Iraq. It's not clear to me why a Swedish court tries normal alleged murders committed in Iran (I doubt they were murders according to 1988 Iranian law). If this is upheld (I guess the Supreme Court will try the case) then this may have interesting implications, for instance Americans involved in convicting criminals on loose evidence in capital cases may want to avoid touristing in Sweden (I doubt Swedish courts will bother prosecuting mere prison sentences).

[Jacob]

Queen Margrethe II announced that she's abdicating in 14 days, on the 52nd anniversary of her reign. Denmark is going to have a King in a few weeks.

I've never been much of a royalist, but I Margrethe did it well.

[The Brain]

Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet took swipe tests in the different parties' rest rooms in the Riksdag. Liberals, Soc Dems, Sweden Democrats (right-wing nutjob party), and Communists tested positive for cocaine.

Not a big deal I think. No one expects the Riksdag to be a gathering of saints. "-Baldrick, you're going to be an MP! I'll just put fraud and sexual deviancy."

[Admiral Yi]

Party segregated toilets is kind of weird.

[The Brain]

Party segregated toilets is kind of weird.

Apparently parties have their own little part of the Riksdag building to themselves.

[Admiral Yi]

Maybe not that weird.  We have caucus rooms, I'm sure they have shitters attached.

[Sheilbh]

Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet took swipe tests in the different parties' rest rooms in the Riksdag. Liberals, Soc Dems, Sweden Democrats (right-wing nutjob party), and Communists tested positive for cocaine.

Not a big deal I think. No one expects the Riksdag to be a gathering of saints. "-Baldrick, you're going to be an MP! I'll just put fraud and sexual deviancy."

Yeah - it's a fairly regular story here too. I feel like it happens every year or two when they need a story.

I'm not sure if parliament's set up like that but the last one I remember was that every bathroom but one in the Houses of Parliament tested positive for coke.

[Josquius]

I'd be worried if my MP wasn't on something.

[Legbiter]

The Turkish parliament has ratified Sweden's bid to join Nato by an big majority in a long-delayed vote.

Leaves just Hungary now. Orban has invited the Swedes over for...talks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68076829

[Jacob]

About time, Turkey

[Legbiter]

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström on Tuesday rejected Hungary's call to negotiate about his country's bid to join NATO.

"I see no reason to negotiate at this point," Billström said, responding to a request made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

 

And in the end the Hungarians get nothing. At least the Istanbul rug haggler played his hand well.

https://www.politico.eu/article/sweden-declines-orbans-push-for-nato-negotiations/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter

[Legbiter]

Hungarian MPs have ratified Sweden's bid to join Nato in a long-delayed vote which paves the way for the Nordic nation's membership.

[The Brain]

You ally with your enemies.

[Jacob]

About time