On August 29, twelve women and men between the ages of 25 and 70 took part in an action carried out by the organization Restore Wetlands, which describes itself as a “peaceful civil disobedience movement”.
The men and women sat on the highway near the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, north of Stockholm, and stopped traffic, causing mile-long queues in the morning rush hour.
“We sat there to save the lives of everyone in Sweden and in the world. Save the lives of all creatures,” said one of the twelve defendants in the interrogation held after the incident.
The action received a lot of attention because an emergency ambulance on its way to the hospital was one of the vehicles that got stuck in the chaos of the queue that arose on the highway.
The twelve who participated in the action were charged with sabotage and disobedience to law enforcement. According to the criminal code, anyone who “seriously disturbs or obstructs public transport” can be sentenced to up to four years in prison for sabotage.
All defendants have denied wrongdoing.
Two verdicts have recently been handed down against activists in similar actions, which were sentenced for sabotage. Several organisations, including Amnesty, have raised their concerns about the legal proceedings and the consequences they risk.