Sweden

Sweden

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	Freedom of association is asserted in the 1974 Instrument of Government under chapter 2, article 1, section 5. CIA World Factbook. Sweden https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sweden/#government CONSTITUTION OF SWEDEN (1974). The Instrument of Government. https://www.equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank/CONSTITUTION%20OF%20SWEDEN.pdf
Freedom of Expression	History	Freedom of expression was first specifically asserted in Sweden through Article 1 of the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression, adopted in 1991. However, freedom of the press, and thus expression through writing, has existed in the country since the adoption of the Freedom of Print Act in 1776. “Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression.” Sveriges Riksdag. Accessed July 12, 2023. https://www.riksdagen.se/globalassets/05.-sa-fungerar-riksdagen/demokrati/the-fundamental-law-on-freedom-of-expression.pdf Nordin, Jonas. “The Swedish Freedom of Print Act of 1776 - Background and Significance.” Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law 7, no. 2 (2018): 137-144. https://www.swlaw.edu/sites/default/files/2018-04/Nordin%20Pages%20from%207.2%20FULL%20v7%20%284_13_18%29_.pdf
Freedom of Religion	History	The Constitution of Sweden was ratified in 1974, and came into force on January 1, 1975. Chapter 1 Article 2, Chapter 2 Article 1.6, 2, 21, 23, and Chapter 7 Article 4.11 grant religious freedoms, equality, and prohibit religious discrimination. Riksdag. “The Constitution of Sweden.” Last modified 2016. Accessed July 5, 2022. https://www.riksdagen.se/globalassets/07.-dokument--lagar/the-constitution-of-sweden-160628.pdf.
Freedom of the Press	History	Sweden was the first nation to formally protect freedom of the press through the 1766 Freedom of the Press Act: “The freedom of the press is understood to mean the right of every Swedish citizen to publish written matter, without prior hindrance by a public authority or other public body, and not to be prosecuted thereafter on grounds of its content other than before a lawful court, or punished therefor other than because the content contravenes an express provision of law, enacted to preserve public order without suppressing information to the public" (Hirschfeldt 2017, p. 580). The Freedom of the Press Act is still included in Sweden’s 1974 Constitution, and Article 1 of Chapter 2 extends further protections for press freedom across “sound radio, television and certain similar transmissions, as well as in films, video recordings, sound recordings and other technical recordings" (Constitute Project, “Sweden’s Constitution of 1974 with Amendments through 2012” ).
Privacy Rights	History	Constitutionally, privacy rights were introduced with the 1974 Swedish Constitution. Articles 2 and 6 present the right to privacy, while Article 20 allows the provisions in Article 6 to have some limitations (Constitute Project, “Sweden’s Constitution of 1974 with Amendments through 2012” ). Sweden was also the first to introduce data privacy rights with the Data Act in 1973 (GDPRHub, “Data Protection in Sweden”). https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Sweden_ 2012. pdf?lang=en https://gdprhub.eu/Data_Protection_in_Sweden
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	The Preamble of Sweden’s Constitution notes that their democracy is founded upon the principles of universal suffrage. Article 4 expands on this notion stating that all citizens (at home or abroad) over the age of 18 can vote for the members of the Riksdag. (Constitute Project, “Sweden’s Constitution of 1974 with Amendments through 2012” ).