International Courant
Prosecutors stated the lads “dealt with the Quran in a fashion that expressed contempt for Muslims due to their religion.”
Two males in Sweden are on trial after repeatedly burning the Quran throughout protests final yr, sparking outrage in Muslim nations.
Swedish prosecutors stated on Wednesday that Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem had individually dedicated 4 “agitation crimes towards an ethnic or nationwide group.”
In response to the indictment, the 2 desecrated the Koran, together with by burning it, and made derogatory remarks about Muslims, in a single case outdoors a mosque within the capital Stockholm.
The occasions of the summer time of 2023 angered Muslim leaders, prompting Sweden to tighten safety measures and straining relations with Center Jap nations.
“Each males are being prosecuted as a result of on these 4 events they made statements and handled the Quran in a fashion supposed to precise contempt for Muslims due to their religion,” Chief Prosecutor Anna Hankkio stated in an announcement.
“For my part, the statements and actions of the lads fall beneath the provisions on agitation towards an ethnic or nationwide group, and it’s important that this case is delivered to justice,” she added.
In response to Hankkio, the proof towards the lads consisted primarily of video footage.
Najem stated he was not incorrect, his lawyer, Mark Safaryan, instructed Reuters information company.
“The allow granted in reference to the demonstration falls inside the intention of my shopper. His rights are protected by the Swedish structure,” Safaryan stated.
Momika, a Christian refugee from Iraq, stated he needed to protest towards the Islamic establishment and ban its holy e-book.
The Swedish Migration Board needed to deport Momika as a result of he had supplied incorrect info in his software for a residence allow. Nevertheless, the choice was not carried out as a result of he was susceptible to torture in Iraq.
The fires led to main protests in lots of nations.
In Iraq, protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July 2023, setting hearth to the complicated.
Following the Koran burnings, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a decision on spiritual hatred and intolerance. Solely the USA and the European Union abstained, as this was in battle with their positions on freedom of expression.
Critics say burning Qurans is a type of free speech that must be protected by legislation.
This month, prosecutors additionally charged Swedish-Danish right-wing activist Rasmus Paludan with the identical offence, over a 2022 protest towards the burning of the Koran within the southern Swedish metropolis of Malmö.
In neighboring Denmark, the place many Koran burnings additionally befell final yr, laws was tightened to ban the apply.
Sweden expenses two males over 2023 Koran burnings | Crime Information
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