Swedish court blocked extradition of exiled Turkish journalist Kenes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Dec 2022 14:06
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The extradition of exiled Turkish journalist from Stockholm to Ankara is a key demand for Turkey to allow Sweden bid for NATO.

Exiled Turkish journalist Bulent Kenes (Getty Images)

Sweden's Supreme Court ruled against the extradition of an exiled Turkish journalist on Monday, going against one of Ankara's key demands for Stockholm's NATO membership accession.

The court stated there were "several hindrances" to returning former ZAMAN daily editor-in-chief Bulent Kenes, whom Turkey accused of being engaged in the 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Some of the charges against Kenes are not crimes in Sweden, which, combined with the political aspect of the case and his refugee status in Sweden, made extradition impossible, according to the court.

"There is also a risk of persecution based on this person's political beliefs," and as a result "the government... is not able to grant the extradition request," Judge Petter Asp said in a statement.

Kenes, who now works for the Stockholm Center for Freedom, an organization created by other Turkish dissidents in exile, told AFP he was "happy" with the ruling and emphasized that the claims against him were "fabricated by the Erdogan regime."

The exiled journalist is the only individual named by Erdogan, among hundreds of persons Ankara wants extradited in exchange for Sweden's membership bid to NATO.

Erdogan demands exiled journalist in Sweden in exchange for NATO bid

Ankara wants Bulen, along with other political refugees, to be extradited in exchange for approving Sweden's membership bid to NATO, as Sweden has scrambling to join the alliance ever since the conflict in Ukraine began earlier this year.

Bulent has a history of being a staunch critic of the Justice and Development Party, formally known as the AKP, which Erdogan is currently leading.

He was exiled in 2016 after ZAMAN daily was accused of backing the Gulen movement led by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

On November 8, the Swedish minister said Sweden will fulfill Turkey's conditions to join NATO, adding that Sweden will not have any relationship with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) but has not mentioned other targeted groups, including the Gulen movement, which Kenes supports ideologically.

"Sweden will fulfill the memorandum to the end. We will not have any relationship with the group of the Kurdistan Workers Party," Ulf Kristenson told reporters.

Kenes has been taking refuge in Sweden since 2017, and his extradition is scheduled to be decided by the Swedish Supreme Court before the end of this year.