A new law, making crimes committed abroad prosecutable under Swedish law, has been used to take action against several Eritrean leaders, including President Isaias Afewerki, reported Al Jazeera.
The allegations, including crimes like torture and kidnapping, were taken to Sweden’s police by a law firm, the same day the new law was introduced, which enables judges to prosecute crimes, regardless of where and by whom they were committed.
"This is not only symbolic. We believe there are legal grounds to prosecute the people we have named," human rights lawyer Percy Bratt told the AFP news agency on Tuesday.
"There is a lot of evidence from human rights groups, particularly about indefinite imprisonment without trial (in Eritrea)," Bratt said.
"There are also many Eritreans in Sweden who could give information about the conditions in the country in general."