This is the first case after Ankara’s request for the extradition of a number of people in exchange for giving up the veto against Sweden’s membership in NATO. As part of the agreement for Sweden’s membership in NATO, Turkey submitted a list of persons with the request that Stockholm extradite them to Turkey.
This gesture by Stockholm towards Turkey is apparently intended to soften Ankara’s reservations about Sweden’s membership in NATO. However, there are doubts as to whether it is enough, because Ankara has complained that Sweden is not taking enough steps on extraditions.
“This is a normal issue, a routine action. It is about a Turkish citizen who was convicted in Turkey in 2013 and 2016 for fraud,” said Swedish Justice Minister Morgan Johansson. “The Supreme Court has examined the case as usual and has concluded that there are no obstacles to his extradition.”
According to the announcements of the Swedish radio-television SVT, the person in question was sentenced by a Turkish court to 14 years of imprisonment for bank abuse and credit card fraud. The person in question denies the crime and says he was punished because he converted from his religion to Christianity and refused military service.
NATO member Turkey gave up its veto on Finland and Sweden’s request to join the Western military alliance only in June after weeks of tense negotiations. Head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the two Nordic countries of harboring fighters of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).