Animal rights activists indicted in Sweden, accused of separately spreading a video clip in which a farmer openly talks about having sex with non human animals.
The indictment is about something that happened in 2018 and two activists are accused of allegedly spreading the film clip. At the time, the farmer was a high-ranking person in the Swedish agricultural lobby. The lawsuit came in 2023.
The activists are accused, among other things, of spreading the film clip on social media. The prosecutor argues that the film clip has harmed the farmer, and therefore the activists should be held guilty of gross defamation (a crime which in Sweden, among other things, can lead to up to two years in prison). Having sex with non human animals is also a crime in Sweden (called “tidelag”), which can lead to up to two years in prison. The farmer is currently not charged with tidelag.
The farmer says that the film clip is a montage, a fake, that there is another person in the recording. Today, the farmer no longer has any higher responsibilities within the animal industry.
Ever since the lawsuit, the Swedish judiciary has tried to hold a trial. Which, for various reasons, they have not been able to do (until recently). One of the activists has previously not been served with a summon to the hearing. The district court and the police have tried to reach the activist, and in May 2023 an obstruction certificate was drawn up. On March 5 2024 the trial against the animal rights activists was held. The verdict will be announced March 19th. The prosecutor demands, among other things, that one of the activists should get six months in prison, and pay SEK 100,000 in damages.
