2022-11-162022/23:KU7 · p.2KUConstitution
Changes in the Code of Judicial Procedure
Amendments to the Code of Judicial Procedure on secret coercive measures for suspected foreign espionage
What's at stake: The change would expand police and prosecutors' ability to wiretap and monitor people suspected of espionage-like offences against international cooperation, touching on both national security and individuals' privacy protection.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the Code of Judicial Procedure should be amended so that law-enforcement authorities can use secret coercive measures, such as covert wiretapping, when the new espionage-like offence is suspected, or whether the amendments should be rejected for lack of a sufficiently substantiated criminalization.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee shares the government's assessment that there are gaps in the criminal-law protection for secret information within international peace- and security-promoting cooperation, and therefore supports giving law-enforcement authorities access to secret coercive measures for this offence, though it rejects one specific provision and makes some legal-technical adjustments.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 2 (V, MP)
The reservation holds that the government's case for a new criminal offence is inadequately substantiated and that the proposal should therefore be rejected in full; without a sufficiently justified criminalization, it argues, there is also no reason to expand the use of secret coercive measures.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: Riksdagen avslår regeringens förslag till lag om ändring i rättegångsbalken i de delar det avser 27 kap.
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 2 by V, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| S | Yes | Yes 93/1/0/13 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| MP | No | No 0/16/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| C | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | Yes | Yes 14/0/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: high | explicit |
| KD | Yes | Yes 17/0/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| SD | Yes | Yes 64/0/0/9 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
Broke with the party line
| SMarkus Kallifatides (S, Stockholms kommun) | No — party line: Yes |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the government's proposal for a law amending the Code of Judicial Procedure in the parts that concern Chapter 27, Section 2, and adopts the bill otherwise with the change that a) Chapter 27, Sections 18, 20 d and 33 shall have the wording that the committee proposes in Annex 4, b) the preamble shall have the wording that follows from this. Thereby the Riksdag partially grants proposition 2021/22:55 point 4.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår regeringens förslag till lag om ändring i rättegångsbalken i de delar det avser 27 kap. 2 § och antar lagförslaget i övrigt med den ändringen att a) 27 kap. 18, 20 d och 33 §§ ska ha den lydelse som utskottet föreslår i bilaga 4, b) ingressen ska ha den lydelse som följer av detta. Därmed bifaller riksdagen delvis proposition 2021/22:55 punkt 4.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag said yes to the government's proposals for amendments to law and constitutional amendments. The constitutional amendments are a so-called dormant proposal, which means that the Riksdag has made a decision on that part at an earlier time. The bills mean, among other things, that foreign espionage, serious foreign espionage and serious unauthorized handling of secret information based on foreign espionage are criminalized and incorporated into the Criminal Code. The Riksdag also said yes to the dormant proposal for amendments to the two constitutional laws the Press Freedom Ordinance and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression. The amendments mean, among other things, that foreign espionage as well as the forms of unauthorized handling of secret information and negligence with secret information that are based on foreign espionage also become criminalized as press and freedom of expression crimes. The amendments to the law also involve restrictions on the right to communicate and the right to obtain information, that is the right to communicate and obtain information for publication in constitutionally protected media forms. Since the proposal in certain parts concerns amendments to constitutional laws, it is required that the Riksdag votes in the same way twice and there must be an election between the votes. The first decision on the constitutional proposal was made on 6 April 2022 and then the Riksdag voted yes. After that there has been a Riksdag election. The amendments to the law enter into force on 1 January 2023.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to reject the government's proposals on new criminalization. (V, MP) — Reservation 2
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The programme guards personal integrity and the rule of law's fundamental principles and demands that growing surveillance and registration be counteracted.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The programme guards personal integrity and the rule of law's fundamental principles and demands that growing surveillance and registration be counteracted. A new criminalization that moreover opens for secret coercive measures goes against this, in line with the party rejecting special legislation outside ordinary legal frameworks. That the measure is motivated by international peace and security cooperation does not weigh more heavily, since the plan opposes ever deeper military cooperation with NATO and the EU.
Original (Swedish)
Programmet slår vakt om den personliga integriteten och rättsstatens fundamentala principer och kräver att växande övervakning och registrering motverkas. En ny kriminalisering som dessutom öppnar för hemliga tvångsmedel går emot detta, i linje med att partiet avvisar särlagstiftning utanför ordinarie rättsramar. Att åtgärden motiveras av internationella freds- och säkerhetsfrämjande samarbeten väger inte tyngre, eftersom planen motsätter sig ett allt djupare militärt samarbete med Nato och EU.
- rule of law and personal integritydecisive»personliga integriteten och fundamentala principer i en rättsstat« (party programme ↗)“personal integrity and fundamental principles of a rule of law”
- counteract growing surveillance»och registrering ska motverkas« (party programme ↗)“and registration shall be counteracted”
- no to special legislation»avvisar en särskild terroristlagstiftning« (party programme ↗)“rejects special terrorist legislation”
- opposition to military NATO cooperation»Därför är Vänsterpartiet motståndare till Sveriges allt djupare militära samarbete med NATO och EU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore, the Left Party is opposed to Sweden's ever deeper military cooperation with NATO and the EU”
The election manifesto explicitly says that the police need more tools, such as better opportunities for wiretapping and house searches, and identifies espionage and hybrid attacks as threats Sweden must be able to defend itself against.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto explicitly says that the police need more tools, such as better opportunities for wiretapping and house searches, and identifies espionage and hybrid attacks as threats Sweden must be able to defend itself against. With NATO membership and deepened security cooperation, the plan supports criminal law protection for classified information and that secret coercive measures may be used against such crime. The counter-proposal's demand to completely reject the law change therefore goes against the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet säger uttryckligen att polisen behöver fler verktyg, som bättre möjligheter till avlyssning och husrannsakan, och pekar ut spionage och hybridattacker som hot Sverige måste kunna försvara sig mot. Med Natoansökan och fördjupade säkerhetssamarbeten stöder planen ett straffrättsligt skydd för hemliga uppgifter och att hemliga tvångsmedel får användas vid sådan brottslighet. Motförslagets krav att helt avslå lagändringen går därför emot planen.
- fler tvångsmedel till polisendecisive»Polisen behöver också fler verktyg, som bättre möjligheter till avlyssning och husrannsakan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The police also need more tools, such as better opportunities for wiretapping and house searches.”
- skydd mot spionage»Vi måste kunna försvara oss militärt, men också mot hybridattacker, spionage och cyberangrepp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must be able to defend ourselves militarily, but also against hybrid attacks, espionage and cyber attacks.”
- säkerhetssamarbete i Nato»Ett svenskt medlemskap i Nato är den bästa vägen för vårt lands säkerhet och Sverige har därför lämnat in sin medlemsansökan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish NATO membership is the best path for our country's security and Sweden has therefore submitted its membership application.”
- stärkt underrättelseförmåga»Vi vill fortsätta internationella samarbeten och utveckla cyberförsvaret och underrättelseförmågan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to continue international cooperation and develop cyber defence and intelligence capability.”
The party programme opposes all laws that entail disproportionate intrusions into privacy and says that crime prevention must not occur at the expense of human rights.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme opposes all laws that entail disproportionate intrusions into privacy and says that crime prevention must not occur at the expense of human rights. Expanded secret coercive measures are such an intrusion, and the plan requires that politics protect privacy when surveillance possibilities grow. When the foundation for the new criminalization is weakly underpinned, privacy protection outweighs. The plan thus supports the requirement to reject the legislative amendment.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet motsätter sig alla lagar som innebär oproportionerliga ingrepp i integriteten och säger att brottsbekämpning inte får ske på bekostnad av mänskliga rättigheter. Utvidgade hemliga tvångsmedel är ett sådant ingrepp, och planen kräver att politiken slår vakt om integriteten när övervakningsmöjligheterna växer. När grunden för den nya kriminaliseringen är svagt underbyggd väger integritetsskyddet över. Planen stöder därför kravet att avslå lagändringen.
- no disproportionate intrusionsdecisive»alla lagar som innebär oproportionerliga ingrepp i« (party programme ↗)“all laws that entail disproportionate intrusions into”
- crime prevention not before rights»viktigt men ska inte ske på bekostnad av mänskliga« (party programme ↗)“important but shall not occur at the expense of human”
- right to privacy and private life»Vi vill värna människors rätt till integritet och« (party programme ↗)“We want to protect people's right to privacy and”
- resistance to increased surveillance»De ökade möjligheterna till övervakning« (party programme ↗)“The increased possibilities for surveillance”
The election manifesto explicitly says no to preventive surveillance and other expansions of the state's secret coercive measures, and the party programme requires proportionality between privacy restrictions and the law's purpose.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto explicitly says no to preventive surveillance and other expansions of the state's secret coercive measures, and the party programme requires proportionality between privacy restrictions and the law's purpose. The plan thus provides no support for expanding secret coercive measures on a criminalisation whose foundation is weakly based. The counter-proposal's demand for rejection lies closest to the plan's privacy commitment.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet säger uttryckligen nej till preventiv avlyssning och andra utvidgningar av statens hemliga maktmedel, och partiprogrammet kräver proportionalitet mellan integritetsinskränkning och lagens syfte. Planen ger därmed inget stöd för att bygga ut hemliga tvångsmedel på en kriminalisering vars grund är svagt underbyggd. Motförslagets krav på avslag ligger närmast planens integritetsåtagande.
- no to preventive surveillancedecisive»Vi säger därför nej till visitationszoner, kollektiv bestraffning, omvänd bevisbörda, anonyma vittnen, preventiv avlyssning och inskränkningar av religionsfriheten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We therefore say no to search zones, collective punishment, reversed burden of proof, anonymous witnesses, preventive surveillance and restrictions on religious freedom.”
- proportionality in privacy intrusions»Det måste finnas en proportionalitet mellan lagstiftningens inskränkning av medborgarnas integritet och lagarnas syfte.« (party programme ↗)“There must be proportionality between the legislation's restriction of citizens' privacy and the laws' purpose.”
- strong privacy protection»Ett starkt integritetsskydd är därför en omistlig del av ett öppet och demokratiskt samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Strong privacy protection is therefore an essential part of an open and democratic society.”
- control of state's coercive power»Staten är den enda enheten i samhället som får utöva tvång och våld.« (party programme ↗)“The state is the only entity in society that may exercise force and violence.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The election manifesto explicitly requires that wiretapping and other secret coercive measures shall be able to be used on suspicion of more crimes than today.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto explicitly requires that wiretapping and other secret coercive measures shall be able to be used on suspicion of more crimes than today. The counter-proposal wants on the contrary to reject that the coercive measures be expanded to the new crime, which goes against the plan. That the party programme requires proportionality in privacy interventions qualifies but does not overturn the commitment, especially when the protection concerns secret information in international security collaborations that Sweden according to the plan shall participate in.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet kräver uttryckligen att avlyssning och andra hemliga tvångsmedel ska kunna användas vid misstanke om fler brott än i dag. Motförslaget vill tvärtom avvisa att tvångsmedlen utvidgas till det nya brottet, vilket går emot planen. Att partiprogrammet kräver proportionalitet vid integritetsingrepp kvalificerar men upphäver inte åtagandet, särskilt när skyddet gäller hemliga uppgifter i internationella säkerhetssamarbeten som Sverige enligt planen ska delta i.
- secret coercive measures for more crimesdecisive»Avlyssning och andra hemliga tvångsmedel ska kunna användas både vid misstanke om fler brott än i dag och efter domstolsbeslut mot organiserade gängmedlemmar även utan konkret brottsmisstanke.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Wiretapping and other secret coercive measures shall be able to be used both on suspicion of more crimes than today and by court decision against organized gang members even without concrete criminal suspicion.”
- stronger rule of law»Rättsstaten ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“The rule of law shall be strengthened.”
- Swedish contribution in defence cooperation»Sverige ska inom Nato särskilt kunna bidra med den infrastruktur som behövs för att skapa ett nödvändigt och strategiskt djup för försvaret av Finland och Baltikum.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall, within NATO, particularly be able to contribute with the infrastructure needed to create a necessary and strategic depth for the defence of Finland and the Baltics.”
- proportionate privacy interventions»är endast berättigade om ett motstående intresse väger uppenbart tyngre och åtgärden är effektiv.« (party programme ↗)“are only justified if a conflicting interest weighs clearly more and the measure is effective.”
The counter-proposal wants to reject the criminalization and thus also the expanded secret coercive measures.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to reject the criminalization and thus also the expanded secret coercive measures. The party programme establishes that all crimes shall be effectively and without exception combated and that Sweden must be able to meet attacks within an expanded security concept, and the election manifesto wants to build up the entire justice system. The plan therefore speaks against a rejection, with the reservation that the powers shall be clearly delimited.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill avslå kriminaliseringen och därmed också de utökade hemliga tvångsmedlen. Principprogrammet slår fast att alla brott effektivt och utan undantag ska beivras och att Sverige måste kunna möta angrepp inom ett vidgat säkerhetsbegrepp, och valmanifestet vill bygga ut hela rättsväsendet. Planen talar därför mot ett avslag, med förbehållet att befogenheterna ska vara tydligt avgränsade.
- effective crime-fightingdecisive»Alla brott ska effektivt och utan undantag beivras« (party programme ↗)“All crimes shall be effectively and without exception combated”
- expanded security concept»möta angrepp från internationell kriminalitet, terrorism, cyberkrigföring, biologiska vapen, kemiska vapen« (party programme ↗)“meet attacks from international crime, terrorism, cyber warfare, biological weapons, chemical weapons”
- expanded justice system»Hela rättsväsendet behöver byggas ut.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The entire justice system needs to be built up”
- delimited coercive measure powers»Det europeiska polissamarbetet ska vara väl utvecklat samtidigt som dess befogenheter ska vara tydligt avgränsade« (party programme ↗)“The European police cooperation shall be well developed while its powers shall be clearly delimited”
The plan emphasises protection against espionage and attacks by foreign powers and wants to strengthen both defence intelligence capability and the Security Police, and prepare defence for NATO membership, which requires that secret information in international cooperation is protected by criminal law.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan emphasises protection against espionage and attacks by foreign powers and wants to strengthen both defence intelligence capability and the Security Police, and prepare defence for NATO membership, which requires that secret information in international cooperation is protected by criminal law. The counter-proposal wants to reject criminalization and thereby also the secret coercive measures. This conflicts with the plan's security commitments and is rejected.
Original (Swedish)
Planen betonar skyddet mot spionage och främmande makts angrepp och vill stärka både försvarsunderrättelseförmågan och Säkerhetspolisen, samt förbereda försvaret för Nato-medlemskap, vilket förutsätter att hemliga uppgifter i internationella samarbeten skyddas straffrättsligt. Motförslaget vill avslå kriminaliseringen och därmed också de hemliga tvångsmedlen. Det står i strid med planens säkerhetsåtaganden och avvisas.
- protection against espionagedecisive»Ge företag som är engagerade i säkerhetskänslig verksamhet bättre stöd från staten att kunna möta cyberattacker, spionage och stöldförsök från främmande makt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give companies engaged in security-sensitive activities better support from the state to meet cyberattacks, espionage and theft attempts from foreign powers”
- strengthened intelligence capability»Stärka försvarsunderrättelseförmågan« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen defence intelligence capability”
- adaptation to NATO»Förbereda försvaret för svenskt Natomedlemskap« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prepare defence for Swedish NATO membership”
- strengthened security police»Stärka Säkerhetspolisen för att öka deras förmåga att skydda den liberala demokratin och landets alla medborgare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the Security Police to increase their ability to protect liberal democracy and the country's all citizens”
flags: citat_migrerat
The plan wishes to give the crime-fighting authorities more and more effective tools, explicitly including intelligence work, information gathering and surveillance, and demands that procedural obstacles to prosecution are removed.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wishes to give the crime-fighting authorities more and more effective tools, explicitly including intelligence work, information gathering and surveillance, and demands that procedural obstacles to prosecution are removed. Rejecting the bill change and thereby denying covert coercive measures for breaches of protection of classified information goes against this. The plan further emphasises that Sweden must be equipped for a new security policy situation.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill ge de brottsbekämpande myndigheterna fler och effektivare verktyg, uttryckligen inklusive underrättelsearbete, informationsinhämtning och avlyssning, och kräver att processuella hinder för lagföring undanröjs. Att avslå lagändringen och därmed neka hemliga tvångsmedel vid brott mot skyddet för hemliga uppgifter går emot detta. Planen betonar dessutom att Sverige måste rustas för en ny säkerhetspolitisk situation.
- coercive measures and information gatheringdecisive»Åtgärder ska vidtas för att bättre kunna kartlägga gängaktiva genom t.ex. underrättelsearbete och informationsinhämtning, spaning, kameraövervakning och avlyssning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Measures must be taken to better map gang-active through, for example, intelligence work and information gathering, surveillance, camera monitoring and surveillance.”
- remove obstacles to prosecution»Processuella hinder för att möjliggöra en ökad lagföring måste också undanröjas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procedural obstacles for enabling increased prosecution must also be removed.”
- better tools for the justice system»Rättsväsendets samverkan mellan myndigheter och verktyg för att upptäcka och lagföra kriminella ska förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The justice system's cooperation between authorities and tools for detecting and prosecuting criminals shall be improved.”
- sharpened security policy situation»Rusta Sverige inför en ny säkerhetspolitisk situation i vårt närområde« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Equip Sweden for a new security policy situation in our neighbourhood”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:KU7)
- Committee report full text (HA01KU7)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Proposition 2021/22:55 — Utlandsspioneri
Source: The Swedish Parliament