Sweden expels Chinese journalist, accusing her threat to 'national security': Report

LONDON

Sweden has expelled a Chinese journalist who has been living in the Nordic country for two decades, accusing her of threatening national security and alleging connections to the Chinese embassy in Stockholm and some Beijing-connected individuals, local media reported on Monday.

An unnamed 57-year-old woman was detained by the Swedish security service (SAPO) upon her return to Sweden in October last year, Swedish national broadcaster SVT reported, adding that she is facing a lifetime ban.

The journalist was expelled by Stockholm authorities last week, the broadcaster said.

She moved to Sweden nearly 20 years ago and married a Swede, with whom she has children, the media outlet said.

The expelled journalist is accused of having connections to the Chinese embassy in Stockholm as well as other individuals believed to be connected to the Chinese government, the broadcaster reported.

Her lawyer, Leutrim Kadriu, told SVT that the journalist does not consider herself a threat to the Nordic country.

“It is difficult for me to go into exact details given that much is shrouded in secrecy, as this is a national security matter,” Kadriu added.

The journalist is also known to have reported from Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

In 2020, a court in eastern China sentenced Hong Kong-born Swedish book publisher and writer Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison for selling books critical of the Chinese government. He was charged with “illegally providing intelligence overseas.”

Minhai was allegedly abducted by Chinese intelligence agents while on vacation in Thailand in 2015, but three months later he appeared on state television, confessing that he voluntarily turned himself in to the police for which he received a sentence that was eventually suspended.

However, in 2018 the man was again arrested on a Beijing train while accompanied by two Swedish diplomats. He remained in prison ever since.

The same year, a Swedish court charged a Tibetan journalist with spying for China against Tibetan refugees in the Nordic country.

Dorjee Gyantsan was found guilty of “gross illegal intelligence activity” against several people and sentenced to 22 months in prison.