Sweden Crime Crackdown: Rights Fears as Powers Grow

Sweden’s ruling right-wing coalition government is advancing a series of laws and proposals that represent a significant shift in the country’s approach to democratic rights and public safety.

Lowering the Age of Criminal Responsibility

One key measure proposes lowering the criminal age of responsibility from 15 to 13, potentially making Sweden an outlier in Europe and among US states. The reform would allow 13- and 14-year-olds to be prosecuted and incarcerated for certain serious crimes, despite recommendations from the UN and UNICEF for a minimum age of 14.

The bill is expected to pass with the support of the Sweden Democrats—a far-right party with origins in the neo-Nazi milieu of the 1980s—guaranteeing a parliamentary majority. If adopted, the new age threshold is planned to come into effect in the summer of next year.

Expansion of State Power

Several other proposals are currently moving through the legislative process, each representing an expansion of state power. These include the ability to expel non-citizens without a criminal conviction if they are deemed to have links to “organised crime.”

Additionally, the government is proposing the creation of new high-security juvenile prison units for children aged 13 to 17, designed to accommodate the lowered age of criminal responsibility. So-called “visitation zones,” similar to US-style stop-and-search areas, would allow police to conduct searches without individualised suspicion.

The use of anonymous witnesses in gang cases is also under consideration, which would limit a defendant’s ability to confront or scrutinise their accusers. Furthermore, police access to encrypted digital communications is being expanded, including broader wiretapping powers and potential real-time access to encrypted messaging, building on initiatives begun by the previous Social Democratic government.

Broader European Trends

This expansion of state repression in Sweden is occurring alongside a broader shift to the right across Europe, with a focus on escalating confrontation with Russia, imposing austerity measures to finance military rearmament, and advancing a hardline, anti-immigrant “Fortress Europe” regime.

Germany has normalised military operations in urban areas and is pursuing legal changes that blur the line between internal policing and external war. The EU’s Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 is accelerating rearmament and preparing industry for a war economy. Governments are also expanding censorship and punitive measures against dissent, including sanctioning journalists and intensifying surveillance.

Sweden’s Historical Context

Sweden has historically been known for its strong protections for free expression and democratic rights, abolishing censorship in 1766 and guaranteeing broad press freedom and open access to government records. These traditions, rooted in the struggles of the Swedish working class in the early twentieth century, have been under attack as Sweden has transformed into an outpost of imperialist warmongering.

In 2010, a Swedish public prosecutor with ties to the Social Democrats initiated a politically motivated investigation of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Stockholm deepened its collaboration with Turkey in the name of combatting “terrorism” as part of its accession to NATO, and Swedish journalist Joachim Medin was held in prison in Turkey earlier this year under circumstances suggesting Stockholm’s complicity.

Addressing Gang-Related Crime

The right-wing coalition argues that lowering the age of criminal responsibility will reduce gang-related crime. However, the increase in violence is linked to growing social inequality, the destruction of public services, and tax cuts for the wealthy.

Criminal networks have become increasingly unstable and fragmented since the mid-to-late 2010s, fueled by a surge in cocaine consumption, particularly among the upper and upper-middle classes. Much of the violence stems from competition between small groups over distribution routes and debts, recruiting poor and often immigrant youth.

Opposition to the Proposal

The proposal to lower the criminal age faces strong opposition from Sweden’s state institutions and legal establishment. A majority of agencies—including the National Police Authority, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Prison and Probation Service—warned that incarcerating 13- and 14-year-olds would be ineffective and likely counterproductive. Child-rights groups have condemned the measure as violating international norms.

Shift in Political Climate

Since Sweden applied for NATO membership in 2022, the domestic political climate has shifted in a militarist direction, narrowing the space for open debate on foreign policy. Peace advocates and anti-NATO voices report being marginalised. The government abolished a state peace fund in December 2023, signalling a declining tolerance for organised anti-war activism.

Expansion of Surveillance Powers

There has been a significant expansion of surveillance powers under the rubric of countering “foreign influence,” particularly from Russia, China and Iran. Säkerhetspolisen (Säpo)—the Swedish intelligence agency—has expelled multiple Russian diplomats on espionage grounds.

In January 2023, the Riksdag adopted a new “foreign espionage” law criminalising the publication of secret information that could harm Sweden’s relations with international partners, with penalties of up to four years in prison.

Militarisation and NATO Integration

Sweden’s defence plan foresees a 64 percent increase in military spending between 2022 and 2028, lifting the annual budget to around $12 billion. Stockholm approved its largest military aid package for Ukraine to date—$287 million. Sweden’s arms industry is experiencing growth as a result of the rearmament cycle.

NATO integration has coincided with a growing role for the military in domestic security, with Swedish personnel embedded in NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre and Strategic Communications Centre. The government is also dismantling barriers between civilian policing and the armed forces, and a parliamentary majority supports military assistance against organised crime.

These changes are linked to the political realignment that brought Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to office in October 2022, with the support of the Sweden Democrats. The reactionary policies of the Social Democrats and the Left Party also contributed to this shift.

Sweden’s integration into NATO has unfolded in tandem with a rapid militarisation of its security policy and is part of the broader transformation of the Nordic region into a northern front in preparations for war with Russia. Finland is conducting large-scale exercises, and Nordic governments have provided more than €20 billion in aid to Kiev.