Sweden Expels Chinese Journalist on Charges of 'Threat to National Security'

Lutrem Kadriou, the lawyer for a Chinese journalist residing in Sweden, said on Monday that Swedish authorities have issued an expulsion order against his client on charges of threatening the national security of the country. According to him, the 57-year-old Chinese female journalist, who has lived in Sweden for the past 20 years, has denied all the allegations. Kadriou refrained from mentioning the name of this Chinese woman or whether she has left Sweden. He added that he cannot discuss the details of the allegations as they pertain to Sweden's national security and must remain confidential. According to this lawyer, the Swedish Security Police's assessment that his client is 'a serious security threat' has been confirmed by the Migration Agency, the Migration Court, and the Swedish government. Swedish television 'SVT' also reported, without referring to the allegations against this Chinese journalist, that she has published articles on her website and received money from the Chinese embassy in Stockholm in return. According to 'SVT', this journalist has also hosted Chinese officials and business delegations and was attempting to arrange meetings between them and Swedish officials. The Chinese embassy in Sweden has not yet commented on this matter. 'SVT' reported that this Chinese woman was arrested last October, and the Swedish Migration Agency immediately decided to expel her, a decision that has also been confirmed by the Swedish Migration Court. According to 'SVT', the Swedish government also confirmed this Migration Court ruling last week. A spokesperson for the Swedish Security Service, while refraining from commenting on this specific case, told Reuters that Sweden's security agencies, as part of their duties, neutralize threats from foreign individuals residing in Sweden against the national security of the country. In recent months, Swedish security agencies have stated that China, Russia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran are the biggest security threats to the country. In mid-February of last year, Swedish Radio revealed details of a plot to assassinate three Swedish Jews by an Iranian couple who had lived in Sweden for over five years under false identities. One of these three individuals, named Saskia Pantel, said in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that the Islamic Republic's embassy was the 'orchestrator' of the assassination operation. In this context, Tobias Billström, Sweden's Foreign Minister, stated that the plot to assassinate three Jewish citizens by agents of the Islamic Republic is taken 'very seriously'.