Swedish political parties have reached a consensus that dual citizens who commit crimes threatening national security should be stripped of their citizenship.
A cross-party committee proposed that the measure should apply to those who used bribes or false information to obtain citizenship and individuals who committed crimes endangering the state or falling under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
However, the proposal does not include a government-backed plan to revoke the citizenship of gang criminals.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer emphasized that Sweden faces significant threats from “violent extremism, hostile state actors, and systemic organized crime.”
The country’s constitution currently prohibits revoking citizenship, but a parliamentary vote on the law is scheduled for next year.
Centre-left opposition parties have opposed including gang-related crimes, arguing that defining such laws would be challenging.
The Left and Green parties have rejected revoking citizenship altogether.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s centre-right government, supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, advocates for stricter measures to address gang violence and rising gun-related killings.
“The proposals I received today will not allow us to revoke Swedish citizenship from gang leaders abroad who direct shootings, bombings, and murders on Sweden’s streets,” Strömmer told Swedish Radio.
Sweden’s government cites Denmark, where citizenship can already be revoked for acts “seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the state.”
Danish laws were recently extended to include certain types of severe gang crimes.
The Swedish government is also tightening the rules for obtaining citizenship. Migration Minister Johan Forssell highlighted that in 2022, police flagged 600 citizenship applications involving individuals deemed threats to national security.
From June 2026, applicants will generally need eight years of residency—up from the current five—and will be required to pass tests on Swedish language and society.
Forssell stressed, “It has been far too easy to become Swedish. Citizenship should be something to be proud of. We are building a Sweden where citizenship matters more.”
He added, “Girls and boys have the right to swim and play football. If you don’t accept that, Sweden is not the country for you.”
Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson proposed that new citizens swear a declaration of loyalty to Sweden, though this was not part of the government inquiry’s recommendations. Kirsti Laakso Utvik, the inquiry’s author, noted that the changes would align Sweden more closely with other European nations.
Source-BBC
