Freedom at its best ( from Sweden )

New constitution makes it forbidden to audit NATO
Published 16 November 2022 at 07:54
DOMESTIC. Today, the Riksdag is expected to say yes to constitutional amendments in the Freedom of the Press Ordinance and the Freedom of Expression Basic Law that will make it possible to criminalize journalistic revelations about the NATO military alliance.

The changes mean, among other things, that "foreign espionage" is criminalized and introduced as a crime of press and freedom of expression. Foreign espionage refers to spying on foreign states or organizations with which Sweden is allied.

In the past, espionage has assumed that the client is a foreign state and not, for example, a Swedish newspaper. But now it will also be a criminal offense to review information that NATO wants to keep secret from journalists who work for Swedish newspapers.

The changes in the law also mean restrictions on the freedom to communicate and the freedom to acquire, i.e. the right to communicate and acquire information for publication in constitutionally protected media forms.

It thus becomes a criminal offense under certain circumstances, for example, to disclose secret information that exists within NATO and that could damage Sweden's relationship with, above all, the United States.

The proposal for constitutional amendments is a so-called dormant proposal, which means that the Riksdag has made a decision in that part just before the election, and must now make a decision again after the election in order for the constitution to be amended.

Only the Left Party and the Green Party have objections to the proposal regarding the proposed changes to the law. They believe that the proposal constitutes an unjustified restriction of freedom of press and expression.