Hanging of Erdogan effigy in Stockholm not a crime: Swedish prosecutors
Turkey summoned Sweden's ambassador in Ankara last week after the Kurdish Rojava Committee of Sweden compared Erdogan to Italy's late dictator Benito Mussolini
This undated handout photo obtained on January 13, 2023 from the Twitter account of the Swedish solidarity committee for Rojava (@realrojkom), where it was published on January 11, 2023, shows an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dangling by his legs from a rope near the Stockholm City Hall, Sweden. AFP
Stockholm: The hanging of an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showing him dangling by his legs from a rope in Stockholm does not warrant a criminal investigation, prosecutors said Monday.
“A decision has been taken not to initiate a preliminary investigation,” a spokeswoman for Sweden’s Prosecution Authority told AFP, providing no further details.
Speaking to newspaper Aftonbladet, public prosecutor Lucas Eriksson said he had received a complaint of “defamation” regarding the effigy.
“But I did not think it could amount to defamation,” Eriksson told the newspaper.
The incident further strained relations between Sweden and Turkey, which is currently holding off on ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession.
Turkey summoned Sweden’s ambassador in Ankara last week after the Kurdish Rojava Committee of Sweden compared Erdogan to Italy’s late dictator Benito Mussolini.
“History shows how dictators end up,” the group wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a video showing pictures of Mussolini’s 1945 execution and then a dummy dressed up to look like Erdogan swinging from a rope outside Stockholm’s City Hall.
The action was condemned by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, who both said it was an attempt to “sabotage” Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Sweden and its Nordic neighbour Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment last year when they applied to join the Western defence alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members who have not ratified the bids by votes in parliament.
Ankara argues that Sweden, in particular, has failed to fulfil a series of commitments both countries made at a NATO summit in June.
Erdogan then lifted his objections to their applications in return for pledges to crack down on Kurdish groups that Ankara views as “terrorists”.
Sweden has since approved a constitutional amendment that will make it possible to pass tougher anti-terror laws.
On Saturday, Erdogan’s foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin told reporters that the country was “not in a position” to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
also read
Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party gives tacit support to President Erdogan's rival in crucial vote
The decision by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) reduces the possibility of a damaging split of the anti-Erdogan vote, boosting the chances of the opposition alliance's joint candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu
President Assad says he won't meet President Erdogan until Turkey withdraws troops from Syria
President Assad's comments come one day after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is seeking to repair ties between Erdogan and Assad severed after the 2011 Syrian war
Turkey plans to ratify Finland's NATO bid ahead of May polls -sources
Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey. Ankara says Stockholm harbours members of terrorist groups, which Sweden denies.