Swedish Green Party MPs Märta Stenevi and Emma Berginger criticised the Swedish government over “cowering before the authoritarian regime in Ankara” in an article they co-wrote for Expressen newspaper.
The MPs noted that Turkey imprisoned the opposition, silenced the press, restricted women’s rights and bombed civilians in Syria.
“It is hypocritical to, on the one hand, condemn Russia and, on the other hand, turn a blind eye to the Turkish violations of international law,” wrote Stenevi and Berginger.
Arguing that Sweden left a progressive foreign policy behind and was no longer guided by liberal values such as freedom and democracy, the Swedish politicians asked, “How many civilians will have to die in Turkey’s bombings before the government finds its democratic backbone again?”
Critical voices are growing about how Sweden is are increasingly bending to Turkish demands.
Sweden’s new Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, who recently visited Ankara, promised to live up to all the obligations made to Turkey, which include extraditing dissidents, in exchange for the approval of his country’s NATO membership bid.
The hacker group Anonymous announced on Monday that it has hacked the official website of the Swedish government in protest at the extradition of a Kurdish refugee, Mahmut Tat, on 2 December.
The hacker group Anonymous (@Parrattarna @KromSec ) hacked the official website of the #Swedish government in protest at extradition of a #Kurdish politician.#Anonymous #KromSec pic.twitter.com/buyRUeLXic
— Anonymous (@Anonymousnn3) December 5, 2022
“This is a good start from Sweden that shows their sincerity and goodwill. We hope new (extraditions) will follow in line with this sincerity,” Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said on Monday.
The Turkish President said that he would freeze the accession process if the two Nordic countries do not take steps to fulfill Turkey’s conditions. The three countries signed a trilateral memorandum to negotiate the bids at NATO’s Madrid summit, in which the two Nordic states accepted a number of demands from Turkey.
