The prevailing practice in Swedish courts is that as much as possible should be public. This means that anyone should be able to request data and documents.
Robert Eneljung believes that documents should be public as far as possible is important for trust in the justice system. Both with the public and for journalists’ opportunities to take part in documents and review the judicial chain.
– It is important to have as much transparency as possible, says Robert Eneljung.
Both in the case concerning murder and arson in Alby and concerning the shooting death in Tullinge, prosecutors have stated a threat to the relatives of the suspects as a reason for the district court to consider whether personal information should be classified.
Do not believe in new practices
The lawyer Robert Eneljung does not believe that the two high-profile cases are signs of a new practice to protect relatives from acts of violence.
– I understand the risk and that it has increased, but I don’t think it will lead to an increase in the use of this approach. I think the risk of this “derailing” and everything becoming secret is very small, says Eneljung.
Legal expert Sven-Erik Alhem agrees that the risk has increased, but emphasizes that the issue is complex and that there are reasons for making such confidentiality decisions given the extreme situation we find ourselves in.
– There are always risks associated with deviating from the principle of the greatest possible openness when it comes to the judicial system. But we always have to take into account what the development looks like, and above all in serious gang crime, he says.