Sara Nilsson, editor-in-chief of the Dumpen website, faces prison for gross defamation after a jury at Gothenburg District Court ruled her guilty. She has now hired celebrity lawyer Mark Safaryan to bolster her defense ahead of the upcoming verdict. Nilsson criticizes Swedish defamation laws, which she believes protect pedophiles.
Sara Nilsson runs the Dumpen website, which publishes names and photos of men suspected of seeking sexual contact with children. These publications have sparked debate in Sweden in recent years, but only now have they reached the courts. An affected man sued Nilsson for gross defamation after his identity was revealed on the site.
This week, the jury at Gothenburg District Court stated that they consider Nilsson guilty. Prosecutors are seeking six months in prison. The final verdict is expected in a couple of weeks.
To meet the challenge, Nilsson is now changing lawyers. She is hiring Mark Safaryan, known for defending Gunilla Persson in a similar defamation case against the Stoppa Pressarna site, where the editor-in-chief was convicted. “We need some extra muscle here,” says Nilsson about switching from her previous lawyer Joacim, whom she praises for a great job.
Nilsson describes Safaryan as someone who “eats pikes for breakfast”—a reference to the men Dumpen calls “pikes.” She believes he can contribute new aspects to the case, especially with his experience in freedom of the press trials.
Both Nilsson and Safaryan criticize Swedish legislation. “There is something seriously wrong when you can sit in a courtroom accused of committing a crime against someone who wanted to commit a crime against children, but he is not accused of anything,” says Nilsson. Safaryan adds: “My client states that she has not committed any crime, so I will fight with all legal means to prove her innocence.”
If convicted, they plan to appeal and pursue the case as far as possible. Safaryan is also pursuing a case against the Swedish state regarding the jury system in freedom of the press trials.
