Sema Erla charged over Palestine fundraising campaign

The chief of police in the capital region has charged Sema Erla Serdaroglu with violating Iceland’s laws on public fundraising, mbl.is reports.

The case concerns a national fundraising campaign for Palestine held in early 2024. Serdaroglu said on Facebook that the campaign helped about 200 people escape what she called genocide in Gaza.

She said she appeared before Reykjavik District Court on Wednesday to answer the charge. According to Serdaroglu, Supreme Court attorney Einar S. Halfdanarson filed a complaint in 2024 against her, Maria Lilja Thrastardottir and the Solaris organisation because he objected to efforts to help people flee what she described as ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

Serdaroglu said the investigation began as a complaint concerning public fundraising laws but later expanded to allegations including money laundering, bribery and terrorist financing. She said police dropped the case twice over two and a half years, after which Halfdanarson appealed the decisions and the national police commissioner ordered a renewed investigation without any new information emerging.

She said police offered her a deal this summer under which she would admit to violating the public fundraising laws, pay a substantial fine and have the offence entered in her criminal record. Serdaroglu said she rejected the offer, describing it as political persecution.

She also characterised the case as political and personal. In her account, the government coalition of the Independence Party, Left Green Movement and Progressive Party had been humiliated when members of the public brought people with Icelandic residence permits from Gaza after the government refused to do so.

Serdaroglu said few people were familiar with Iceland’s public fundraising laws, which had changed little since 1977. She added that the district commissioner had for years pointed to the need to update them.

The main proceedings are scheduled to take place at the end of October.