More than half of the prisoners that were to be transferred to Estonia as prisons are overcrowded in Sweden have been rejected over alleged gang links and concerns about radicalization.
TEC News
Estonia has declined over fifty percent of the Swedish inmates proposed for relocation to a facility in Tartu, due to connections with organized crime and fears about radicalization. Despite this, the initial group of Swedish prisoners arrived in Estonia on Tuesday, August 18th, initiating the contentious prison transfer process between the two countries.
On Tuesday, Sweden commenced relieving its overcrowded prison system by transferring inmates across the Baltic Sea to Tartu.
However, reports from Expressen and the Estonian news outlet Delfi reveal that Estonian officials rejected 20 out of 37 inmates included in Sweden’s first selection. The main reasons provided were “obvious links to organized crime” and potential radicalization risks.
Estonian Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta confirmed to the national broadcaster SVT that more than half of the prisoners on the initial list were turned down.
“When we reviewed the first list, it was clear that more than half were not acting alone but had involvement with criminal gangs,” Pakosta explained.
The agreement between Sweden and Estonia permits Estonia to reject certain detainees. The Estonian government has previously stated that inmates linked to gang crime are not acceptable under this arrangement, especially amid domestic backlash against the transfer plan.
Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (Moderates) downplayed the impact of the refusals, describing the first group’s transfer as a crucial milestone for the new system.
“They have the authority to decline prisoners according to the agreement,” Strömmer told SVT, adding that early cooperation phases would include refining the selection criteria for transfers.
The deal foresees Estonia hosting up to 600 Swedish prisoners to help address Sweden’s pressing shortage of incarceration spaces as its inmate population grows.
By late September, approximately 100 Swedish inmates are expected to be housed at the Tartu prison, with that number rising to around 200 by the end of the year.
This arrangement remains contentious within Estonia. A recent poll conducted over the summer indicated that 54% of Estonians are either against or uncertain about the transfer agreement.
Original article: europeanconservative.com
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