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Sweden rules Israel organ theft claim not racist
[Al Arabiya Latest] A Swedish newspaper report alleging that Israeli soldiers stole and sold body parts of dead Palestinians did not constitute inciting racism, judicial authorities have ruled, news agency TT reported Saturday.Two written requests had been submitted to the Swedish Chancellor of Justice to probe whether the report in the Aftonbladet tabloid last month amounted to inciting racial hatred and violated freedom of expression laws. TT said the Chancellor of Justice had decided not to open a preliminary investigation into the case that sparked a row between Sweden and Israel. The chancellor, who was unavailable for comment on Saturday, is a government-appointed official who acts as an independent judicial watchdog and is the only prosecutor in Sweden who can take legal action in cases concerning freedom of speech. Aftonbladet alleged in a story in August that Israeli soldiers had been involved in the illegal trafficking of human organs. The claims sparked outrage in Israel and prompted senior figures in the Israeli government to demand that Sweden condemn the report. Israel had demanded Sweden condemn the article it labeled an anti-Semitic "blood libel." But Stockholm rebuffed the calls, saying that doing so would violate the country's tradition of freedom of speech. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt abruptly cancelled a trip to Israel early in September allegedly after reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had considered refusing to meet with him. Posted by: Fred 2009-09-21 |
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