Climate Activist Sentenced but Escapes Punishment for Stockholm Car Blockade
A climate activist has been sentenced for disobedience to law enforcement after participating in a car blockade in Stockholm earlier this year. However, the Stockholm District Court has ruled that he will not receive any punishment for his actions, as he was acting to protect the climate, according to P4 Sjuhärad.
In a statement, the district court noted, “It is a matter of acute emergency and therefore it is clearly unreasonable to impose a penalty.”
The verdict is a so-called jury verdict, where two of the three jurors in the case voted against the legal judge. With a 2-2 tie, the mildest results for the defendant must be sentenced, leading to the man escaping punishment.
Chief councilor Axel Peterson expressed his disagreement with the outcome, stating, “As a legal judge and the third member of the jury, I wanted to convict and did not consider that there were conditions for a remission of penalties. It is clear that the outcome stands out.”
It is important to note that so-called jury verdicts are often changed on appeal in a higher instance, indicating that this decision may not be final.