Sweden expels Chinese journalist over national security fears, lawyer says

STOCKHOLM — Swedish authorities have ordered the expulsion of a Chinese journalist, saying she could pose a serious threat to national security, a lawyer representing the woman said on Monday (April 8).

The 57-year-old Chinese woman has lived in the country for almost 20 years and denied all the accusations, lawyer Leutrim Kadriu told Reuters.

Kadriu did not name the woman or say whether she had already left. He said he could not go into details on the charges as they concerned national security and were officially confidential.

"The security police have argued that it can be assumed that my client may pose a serious security threat. This assessment has been agreed by the Migration Agency, the Migration Court and the government," the lawyer said.

The Migration Agency declined to comment.

Public broadcaster SVT did not give details of the charges, but said, without identifying its sources, that the woman had published articles on her website and had received payments linked to the reporting from the Chinese embassy in Stockholm.

She had also hosted Chinese authorities and business delegations on visits to Sweden and sought to arrange meetings with Swedish officials, SVT said.

A spokesperson for China's Stockholm embassy said its government always requests Chinese citizens to comply with the laws of their country of residence, and expects Sweden to guarantee that the rights and interests of Chinese citizens are not violated.

SVT said the woman was detained in October and Sweden's Migration Agency decided to expel her soon after, in a ruling later upheld by a migration court. The government upheld the court's decision last week, SVT added.

"On April 4, the government decided to reject an appeal against a decision on deportation under the law on the special control of certain foreigners," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Reuters. "Beyond that, I cannot comment on the individual case."

A Swedish Security Service spokesperson also declined to comment on the case but added:

"The Security Services' mission to protect Sweden and democracy includes preventing people who are not Swedish citizens — and who are deemed to pose a threat to Sweden's security — from residing or establishing themselves in Sweden."

Swedish security services said in February that China, Russia and Iran posed the biggest security risks to the country.

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