The un's committee on the elimination of racial discrimination has issued sharp criticism of Sweden's visitation zones, calling them repugnant and illegal. The committee warns of racial profiling and urges a review of legislation. The government defends the zones as compatible with international conventions.
Sweden's visitation zones, also known as security zones, were introduced last year to counter risks of explosions and shootings in criminal environments. These zones allow police to temporarily search individuals without specific suspicion of crime in areas deemed at such risk.
The un's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Cerd) expresses deep concern over the zones in a new report. Committee vice-chair Gay McDougall describes them as 'repugnant and illegal' in an interview with Svenska Dagbladet. 'You can't pick people up on the street just because of how they look. The visitation zones violate the convention against racial discrimination to which Sweden is a party,' she says.
Cerd refers to reports of racial profiling and warns that the zones risk discriminating against people of African origin, migrants, and refugees. The committee also criticizes other proposals in the Tidö Agreement for being discriminatory against ethnic groups, including undocumented migrants, Muslims, people of Asian and African descent, as well as asylum seekers. The report raises concerns about hate propaganda and racist hate crimes in Sweden and urges a review of discrimination laws and the Tidö Agreement to ensure compliance with international human rights.
The government rejects the criticism. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer's press secretary Ebba Koril writes in an email to Svenska Dagbladet that the discrimination issue was carefully considered. 'The government's assessment was then, as now, that the regulation, through safeguards for legal certainty, is compatible with fundamental freedoms and rights and does not violate international conventions,' she states.