Sweden expelled a Chinese journalist on Monday due to concerns over national security, as reported by Swedish media. The name of the Chinese journalist remains undisclosed. However, it is known that she is 57 years old, has lived in Sweden for nearly two decades, has family in the country, and has been under police custody since October 2023, according to SVT.

The Swedish Security Service, commonly referred to as Säpo, indicated that the information the authorities have is highly credible. They emphasized that the journalist represents a serious threat and has been engaging in activities jeopardizing Swedish security for over a decade.

Leutrim Kadriu, the lawyer representing the unnamed journalist, stated that his client had been in contact with the Chinese Embassy and individuals associated with the Chinese government in Sweden. He asserts that the portrayal of the journalist by the Swedish Security Service is utterly serious and founded on inaccurate information.

This is not the first time a journalist has been expelled from a country. For instance, in a recent case in March, Russian authorities decided not to renew the visa of Spanish journalist Xavier Colás, giving him just one day’s notice to leave the country, as indicated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Afterward, the Spanish journalist expressed himself on X (formerly Twitter): “I have simply done my job: I have reported what is happening, I have spoken with the people who suffer because of it, and I have explained who is responsible for what is happening.”

These recent events appear to be in line with the growing concern about “threats to media freedom” in the EU, according to a report made by Liberties, which is a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Berlin that ensures and promotes the protection of the human rights of all individuals within the EU. The report emphasized:

Journalists in the EU continue to face threats and instances of violence simply for doing their job of bringing to light corruption, wrongdoing and other matters of public interest. This grave threat to media freedom is widespread across the bloc, particularly in Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.

Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and that the freedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected.