Swedish Murder Trial Paused Amid Judge Bias Allegations

The trial of the murders of two 14-year-old boys is paused. This after the chairman of the court has been reported for bias. The district court does not believe that it is bias but pauses the trial since the matter can be appealed.

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Swedish Murder Trial Paused Amid Judge Bias Allegations
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The judge, Göran Nilsson, was reported after questioning on Monday, the first day of the trial, whether the parents of one of the deceased children should participate in the trial since they had an interpreter, which costs money.

He was reported by the parents' lawyer, Anwar Osman, who says he "has never experienced anything like it".

"The plaintiffs' opinion is that they are being treated unfairly and receiving worse treatment from Göran Nilsson due to their ethnicity since they do not fully master Swedish", the lawyer writes in the report to the Stockholm District Court, according to Aftonbladet.

However, the District Court does not consider it a case of bias, but since the matter can still be appealed to the Svea Court of Appeal, Wednesday's and Thursday's proceedings are being postponed.

"The District Court has also stated that what has emerged about the chairman's actions during yesterday's main hearing is inappropriate. However, the actions are not intended to undermine confidence in the chairman or his impartiality in the case", says Chief Judge Sofia Jungstedt, who has examined the bias issue with four lay judges, in a press release.

18 people have been charged in the case of the murders of the boys who were found dead in woodland areas in Nynäshamn and Upplands-Bro in July and August 2023.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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