STOCKHOLM

The Swedish Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a decision to extradite to Türkiye a man who was found guilty of racketeering for the terrorist group PKK, which is also listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, US, and UK.

However, the court approved jail time of four-and-a-half years for attempting to finance terrorism, attempted extortion, and firearms offense for the 40-year-old terrorist sympathizer, who was convicted this July – the first such conviction in Sweden.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hans Ihrman underscored that detectives had been able to verify 11 occasions when the man worked with a high-ranking PKK member in Stockholm to extort money from restaurants and wholesalers.

Furthermore, Mans Wigen, chief councilor of the Stockholm district court, said the investigation showed a clear connection between the terror group PKK and the defendant.

In its almost 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the US, the UK and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Sweden applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war in Ukraine in February 2022. Türkiye, which like all NATO members must approve Sweden’s membership bid, has said Stockholm must crack down on terrorists as well as Islamophobic provocations on its soil to gain membership.

Sweden has pointed to a new anti-terrorist law, effective June 1, arguing for its membership, but Turkish officials say the law must be implemented, and Türkiye’s parliament will have the final say this fall.