the Prosecutor requires a three-month prison sentence for SVT-profile Fredrik Önnevall, 43.
His crime was that he helped a lonely and vulnerable 15-year-old syrian boy to go to a secure existence in Sweden.
“It was a unique situation, but I do not regret what I did,” he says.
Fredrik Önnevall is the very popular journalist at the Swedish Television who became known to many when he traveled around China and provåt food in the series “China’s food”.
But it would change his life in a completely different way occurred during the work with the series “Homeland”.
In the program face, and he interviews people who call themselves nationalists, in different countries, and people who feel that the nationalists are being targeted.
During a reportageresa to Athens, encountered after the tour, the 15-year-old arab boy, Ahmed, in a small apartment full of grown men.
Went on
Ahmed had earlier along with his brother, taken from Syria to Greece. But while Ahmed has been taken into custody during a month-had his brother travelled on to Austria.
In the talks with the Swedish tv team said the boy quickly: Take it with me to Sweden.
“I was confronted with a situation that I have not done before as a journalist, that everything is so clearly hung up on me and my colleagues,” says Önnevall.
In reportageteamet was in addition to him self a cinematographer and an interpreter.
They counseled what they should do and the decision was that the boy would get to go to Sweden.
the Alternative had been much worse – that the boy tried to jump down on a truck and illegally taken to the north on the way.
Much of the event was filmed and became a highlighted program in Sveriges Television.
trial
But the back of the medal showed itself yesterday when the tv-team, three people were tried for trafficking in Malmö district court.
Prosecutor Kristina Amilon claimed that it was an ordinary drug offences and demanded that all three are sentenced to three months in prison.
– There are three adults who help a child through Europe, the prosecutor said in his slutplädering.
the prosecution believes that they helped the boy in different ways to get to Sweden.
” They have determined the route, it is the crew who arranged everything. And you know that the boy had fake documents, ” said the prosecutor.
She believes, in addition to a troublesome circumstance was that the film crew rented a car and brought him from Athens to the coast, where the ferry to Italy, resigned.
– in Addition, they went to the hairdresser with him to give him a more european look. It was also involved in the boy got new clothes before the trip.
Similar tourists
In the tv program which the prosecutor uses as part of his evidence says Önnevall something about the female interpreter and the boy can look like tourists.
” It would appear that I was the son of the interpreter, told the boy himself during the trial.
According to the prosecutor’s description was the tv team are deeply involved in the Ahmed travel to Sweden.
Last night in Greece sleeping team outdoors in an olive grove, in order not to attract attention.
During the voyage between Greece and Italy divided up in order to escape detection.
at No time during the trip controlled the boy – despite the fact that the company crossed a total of five borders.
the Last bit of the journey was in a bus from Denmark to Malmö central station. There was a sense that a cousin of Ahmed would pop up and download the 15-year-old boy.
Denies breach
But it was never and Ahmed had to follow with cinematographer home instead and sleep during the night.
In the courtroom, denied all of the defendants crime.
They claimed that the boy paid for the trip itself and to the tv team only been travel companions for him during the journey to Sweden.
” I dealade with my conscience. I had the conscience to say no to a boy to go with you? No, I couldn’t, said Önnevall in the courtroom.
According to the prosecutor, it was an aggravating circumstance the fact that the boy is not immediately notified to the Swedish authorities.
He now has a permanent residence permit in Sweden and has been here with his family. Ahmed go to high school and speaks fluent English.
Did right
Last year brought 121 of prosecution for human trafficking in Sweden. The law states that anyone who intentionally helps an alien to unlawfully enter or pass through Sweden, sentenced for human smuggling to imprisonment for at most two years.
” I still think I did the right thing. But it is impossible to say if I would’ve done it again, ” says Önnevall to Kvällsposten.
He does not want to have any idea if he intend to appeal any conviction.
the Ruling in the case communicated on 9 February.
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