The Swedish government announced on Monday that it is accelerating efforts to revoke the Swedish citizenship of dual nationals involved in gang activities.
“Gang criminals who terrorise our streets and public spaces should no longer be able to use a Swedish passport to travel freely or evade deportation after committing serious crimes,” said Migration Minister Johan Forssell.
Police data cited by the government indicates that around 1,100 individuals involved in criminal networks in Sweden hold dual nationality.
Currently, it is impossible to revoke Swedish citizenship, as it is a right protected by the country’s constitution.
The centre-right government, which is supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD), has initiated a review of Sweden’s fundamental law to allow citizenship revocation under certain conditions. If successful, this would enable the expulsion of these individuals.
“This is a bilateral effort” to ensure that the relevant countries accept their nationals, confirmed Mr Forssell.
According to findings from the review presented on 15 January, Swedish nationality could be revoked from a dual national if it was obtained using false, incomplete, or fraudulent information.
Revocation should also be possible if the subject is convicted of offences that pose “a serious threat to national security,” such as espionage or high treason, and for crimes “severely affecting the vital interests of the State,” the government explained.
The government aims to categorise those involved in Sweden’s ongoing gang warfare under the latter provision.
