Sweden agrees to extradite one man to Turkey in Nato talks

Sweden agreed to extradite Turkish citizen if he is granted retrial on his return

From left, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at an international donors' conference in Belgium for Turkish and Syrian victims of this year's earthquakes, on March 20. EPAShow less

Sweden has agreed to extradite a Turkish citizen wanted by Ankara, but it rejected another request as extraditions continue to be one of Turkey's key demands to ratify Stockholm's Nato membership.

Turkey believes Sweden is a safe haven for dozens of suspects it says are linked to a failed 2016 coup attempt and a decades-long Kurdish fight for an independent state.

Ankara has used this as a reason to hold back on ratifying Sweden's Nato application.

Sweden's Justice Ministry said it agreed to the extradition of Omer Altun, 29, who was sentenced last year by a Turkish court to 15 years in prison for "what in Sweden would be the equivalent of fraud".

The ministry said the extradition was agreed to on the condition that Altun would be granted a retrial on his return to Turkey.

The decision, a copy of which was obtained by AFP and was dated March 30, came after Sweden's Supreme Court gave approval for the extradition.

"The government shares the Supreme Court's assessment that there is nothing blocking the extradition of Omer Altun to Turkey," it said.

A look at the Nato military alliance - in pictures

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  A solemn welcoming ceremony of US soldiers at Adazi military base, Latvia, on February 25, 2022. More than 300 soldiers of the 173rd Air Force Brigade arrived to demonstrate the US commitment to defend Nato allies and strengthen Latvia's defence capabilities following Russia's military operation in Ukraine. EPA

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  US paratroopers in Ukraine's western Lviv region during a Nato-sponsored training exercise in 2020. AP

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  A US military aircraft takes off at the US Air Base Ramstein, in Landstuhl, Germany, on February 25. US President Joe Biden February 24 authorised the deployment of further armed forces to Germany as part of Nato's response to Russia's military aggression on Ukraine. EPA

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  Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on February 25. EPA

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  A convoy of British armoured vehicles of the Royal Welsh Battlegroup on the way to Estonia, driving through Liepupe, Latvia, on February 25. British troops and equipment are heading to Estonia as part of the UK's contribution to strengthen Nato's uplift to Eastern Europe. EPA

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  Protesters outside a Nato leaders virtual summit in Brussels on February 25. AP

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  A US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 34th Fighter Squadron receives fuel from a KC-10 Extender aircraft over Poland on February 24. US Air Force/Reuters

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  US military personnel check an Apache attack helicopter AH-64 during a technical stop on the tarmac at Traian Vuia International Airport in Timisoara, Romania, on February 24. EPA

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  German soldiers of the Nato enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) Battalion Battle Group in Lithuania attend a ceremony during a visit of German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht to Rukla Military Base, Lithuania, on February 22. EPA

Stockholm has repeatedly stressed that its judiciary is independent and has the final say in extraditions.

The government rejected an extradition request for Mehmet Karayel, 51, a Swedish citizen Ankara suspects of being a member of an "armed terrorist organisation", according to documents from the Swedish Justice Ministry.

Under Swedish law, "a Swedish citizen cannot be extradited", it wrote.

Sweden has extradited at least two Turkish citizens in the past year but rejected requests for others, including the former editor-in-chief of the Zaman daily, who Turkey accuses of being involved in a 2016 attempt to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their long-standing policies of military non-alliance and applied to join Nato after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

After months of delay, Ankara ratified Finland's membership last month, enabling it to become a full member of the defence alliance this week.