The Swedish parliament on Wednesday adopted an amendment to the constitution, which will allow for tougher anti-terrorism laws.
The changes to the constitution come as Turkey continues to block Sweden’s admission to NATO, accusing Stockholm of being too lenient with Kurdish fighters and opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Ankara considers terrorists.
Of the 349 members of parliament, 278 voted in favor of the amendment.
The amendment allows laws that “restrict freedom of association in relation to associations that are involved in or support terrorism”.
As stated by the Standing Committee on Constitutional Affairs, which advised MPs to support the proposal, the amendment will provide opportunities for “wider criminalization of participation in terrorist organizations and the prohibition of terrorist organisations”.
With the new legislation, it will be easier to prosecute members of the Kurdish armed separatist organization Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and most of its Western allies.
The changes will go into effect on January 1.
Last week, Sweden’s new prime minister Ulf Kristerson described the constitutional amendment as a “big step” during a visit to Turkey.
For constitutional amendments to take effect, they had to be approved by two convocations of parliament.
The first vote was held in April under the previous leftist government.
Only the Left Party opposed the changes.
