Court upholds sentence for threats against two Swedish ministers

Sweden’s Svea Court of Appeal has upheld a suspended sentence for a man in his 40s convicted of unlawful threats and harassment against two government ministers, SVT reported.

The man was convicted of harassment after leaving a basket of apples outside Migration Minister Johan Forssell’s home in January. He had painted Adolf Hitler’s face on the apples.

He was also convicted of threatening Aid Minister Benjamin Dousa by leaving a mannequin dressed as an Islamic State fighter outside his home, along with a toy knife and a severed mannequin head.

Both the man and the prosecutor appealed the Solna District Court ruling. The Court of Appeal said his “callous and threatening conduct” crossed the boundary between the ministers’ private and public roles. It also agreed that the acts were not protected by freedom of expression or freedom of assembly.

The man has links to the activist group Rojava Committees, which has existed for more than 11 years and supports the Kurdish freedom movement.