Response to interpellation 2023/24:810 on security screening

Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Ardalan Shekarabi has asked me what measures I and the government intend to take to stop the exclusion of Swedish citizens with origins in Iran in connection with security screenings, and whether the government intends to task the commission on an improved process for security screenings with investigating the question of how such an exclusion should be countered. I also understand that this interpellation has been posed in light of a review that has been conducted in Dagens Nyheter, where a number of concrete cases highlighting these problems have been brought forward.

Let me begin by stating that the protection of Sweden is one of the state's core tasks. In the serious security situation that prevails, well-functioning security protection work is completely central. To security-vet individuals who are to work or participate in security-sensitive activities is an important part of this. It is entirely natural that foreign citizenship and other connections to other countries are factors to be assessed within the framework of such a vetting, as they can constitute vulnerabilities that a foreign power can exploit. The individual, or their relatives, may find themselves in a vulnerable position in relation to a foreign power.

At the same time, the legislation on security screenings must be designed so that individuals' privacy is secured. A security screening shall always involve a comprehensive assessment and consist of a broad basis for decision-making. The purpose of a security screening is that the operator shall have as good a knowledge of the person as possible. It is the operator who is responsible for the security screenings and the assessments made therein. However, there must never be any question of any automatic screening out of applicants based on citizenship.

Questions regarding security clearance are important and require careful consideration. That is precisely why the government has appointed an inquiry to consider which pieces of information should be included in the basis for such security clearances (Dir. 2023:91). From the directives to this inquiry, which was appointed last year, it appears that questions regarding citizenship and rules that can affect the mutual relationship between individuals require a thorough review. In addition to the question of what should be included in the basis for a security clearance, the investigator shall also assess whether there should be an opportunity to appeal a security clearance decision. In view of the importance of the questions, the government has also attached a parliamentary reference group to the inquiry.

The ongoing investigation can already consider the questions raised by Ardalan Shekarabi. I do not want to anticipate the investigation's work other than by emphasizing that the very purpose of the investigation is to strengthen the regulations in the area of personnel security, provide operators with clear conditions for their security work, and increase legal certainty and predictability for individuals and for operators.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer for the answer and not least for the clear positions in Dagens Nyheter against the discrimination of Swedish-Iranians. It is extremely valuable that Sweden's Minister of Justice sends such clear signals that the government stands up for equal treatment. I hope that we can solve this issue together.

The group of Swedes with roots in Iran is a group that is often described as one of the most well-integrated immigrant groups in Sweden. For over 40 years, the group has fought hard to enter Swedish society, and it has gone incredibly well. The group has a high level of education, a high employment rate, and a large degree of participation, not least in the business sector.

In the labor market, in academia, in the cultural sector – everywhere one finds Swedes with roots in Iran. There has been a very clear ambition from day one, when people were forced to flee the Islamist dictatorship in Iran and came to Sweden, to be integrated into this society. The result has been good.

Two years ago, however, the Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen) submitted a proposal to exercise much stricter scrutiny, and in practice much stricter application of security screenings, towards persons who have dual citizenship, specifically when it concerns persons who have dual citizenship in countries that constitute a security threat to Sweden.

This was only a proposal submitted to the government two years ago. The government chose not to proceed with the proposal without appointing an inquiry to update the regulatory framework.

It is, however, evident that many employers since then have begun to employ a clearly exclusionary and discriminatory view of Swedes with roots in Iran. This has meant that many Swedes, in some cases Swedes who are born here but who have parents who are originally from Iran, are excluded from large parts of the labor market.

Not least Dagens Nyheter's investigation has shown that it concerns people who have worked in the logistics industry, in the transport industry, in electricity companies - in different parts of the labor market where there is security-sensitive activity.

It is not only police and military occupations we are talking about, but Swedish-Iranians are now facing very discriminatory security screenings in large parts of the labor market. And in some cases, it concerns direct statements from the employer that they even exclude Swedes with roots in Iran from the very beginning.

This is based on the fact that the Iranian state considers Swedes with roots in Iran to be Iranian citizens. Even people who are born here, who may have never visited Iran and who may have an ethnically Swedish parent but a parent who has Iranian citizenship, are seen by the Iranian state as Iranian citizens. They lack the possibility to renounce the other citizenship. Swedish-Iranians do not have the right to renounce Iranian citizenship.

So, here one sits, after 40 years of successful struggle to enter this society. One has moved from an Islamist regime and has become a part of this society, but for two years now, one experiences a discrimination that one could not imagine would occur in Sweden. It is open and clear from many employers.

It is commendable that the government initiated the investigation. But I want to ask the minister if the government intends to give the investigation a supplementary mandate. If Swedish-Iranians lack the possibility to renounce Iranian citizenship, we must work together to find a solution, so that the Swedish citizens who want to work in Sweden and who see themselves as Swedes can have the Iranian citizenship removed and be seen as the Swedish citizens they are.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Ardalan Shekarabi, for raising these questions today! You have done so many times before, and on good grounds.

I would like to start with Swedish-Iranians in Sweden. It is quite true that it is one of the groups with roots in other countries that has truly integrated into our society. As was said earlier, they have a high level of education, a strong foothold in the labor market, a strong presence in large parts of social life, and a high degree of participation. In that sense, they are a very successful example of when integration works well in our society.

I am also aware that not all states accept that one renounces their citizenship. It becomes particularly problematic for the one who has their roots in Iran, because Iran is one of the countries that we know constitutes a concrete threat to our internal security. We often mention Russia, China and Iran. It is no coincidence. And then a problem arises.

When we entered the Government Offices in October 2022, this petition from the Swedish Security Service was there. It had been addressed to the previous government. The question became: What shall we do with it? It was obvious that the Swedish Security Service was pointing to a reality that is not isolated to persons with a background in Iran, but there is generally seen an increased threat to our internal security.

There is an increased pressure on services that are security-classified and where security screenings are to be conducted, and these security screenings are of very varied quality. In any case, they are not assessed equally. For example, the questions we are now talking about, regarding citizenship, are likely to be handled in different ways by different service providers. That is to say, there is also a strong interest, for reasons of legal certainty, for the individual to take hold of these issues.

However, it was obvious that the government could not simply dismiss the motion, and a broader investigation was required, partly due to the questions themselves. But there are also a number of related questions that need to be addressed, for example, whether this type of decision can be appealed, how one should act as a state employer, what possibility one has to shut out persons who pose a security threat, and so on. These would be included in the investigation.

The issue that has now been highlighted, for example through Dagens Nyheters investigation, is that employers seem to have taken the investigation itself as a reason to now exclude Swedish-Iranians from security screenings. We are not even talking about the security-cleared position, but about being able to participate in the competition and be security-screened for a current position at all.

That is not the purpose of the investigation. That is not the signal that has been sent. On the contrary, the signal that has been sent has been unambiguous: We want legally secure procedures where equal cases are treated equally. Citizenship can be a vulnerability that should be considered more closely, but that in itself should not automatically lead to that one cannot be considered for different services. That is the very purpose of the investigation.

To emphasize the importance of getting the balance right, we have Ardalan Shekarabi's request - I am happy to give Ardalan Shekarabi - receipt with a parliamentary reference group, in order to truly emphasize that it must be correct in all conceivable respects.

I see it as that the investigation has every possibility to address the questions that we are discussing here today, and it needs no special, new directives for that. I hope and believe that this can land in a good way in substance. Then we shall ensure that the signals also get through out there.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, honorable Minister of Justice, for the answer!

The situation right now for many Swedes with roots in Iran, and even for Swedes with roots in Iran, is such that one meets a wall. This has happened in two years. It was not like this earlier. Security screenings were done earlier too, but now we have a situation where very many Swedes with roots in Iran are directly told that they are not welcome to even apply for a certain job.

It would be a different matter if it were military services or services at the Security Service we were discussing. But it must be said that the Iranian regime poses a threat not only to Sweden but also to many other countries. The USA just appointed an American with roots in Iran to one of the highest leaders of the American fleet. There, the issue has been resolved. People who have fled the Islamist regime in Iran and settled in the USA can, through various actions, show that they intend not to have Iranian citizenship. It is not legally possible to renounce Iranian citizenship. But they show in various ways that they now live in the USA, are American citizens, and are loyal to the country.

This concerns over 120,000 Swedes, and in many cases also their respective [relatives], who are now encountering this wall in the security screening. Most in that group now want to show: I live here in Sweden, I am a Swedish citizen, and I function in this society. This is my country.

In many cases, one can even say: I was born here. I have a parent who is from Iran, but I was born here and I want to be a Swedish citizen. I want to show in some way that I do not intend to use the Iranian citizenship, because I want to be able to become a police officer, want to be able to work in the Port of Gothenburg, want to be able to work at the Government Offices. I am inspired by the two Swedish-Iranians who sit in Sweden's government and would like to work with politics. But the signal I am getting right now is that I am excluded, because my Swedish citizenship is worth nothing.

All politicians have over the last ten years said that we should raise the value of Swedish citizenship, that it is important that we strengthen Swedish citizenship. But what is a Swedish citizenship worth if one suddenly becomes excluded from a large part of the labor market, despite having Swedish citizenship, because one does not have the right to renounce one's Iranian citizenship?

Madam Speaker! My point is that if the government, together with other political parties and other actors, does not now find a way forward for this group, we will not be able to speak of the Swedish-Iranian group as the successful group in ten or twenty years. The young people who are now leaving universities – Swedish-Iranians are among the groups with the highest level of academic education – do not, in fact, have access to the same open labor market that I had. For two years now, they have been excluded from many jobs.

If the government does not now come up with a solution for that group, Swedish-Iranians will either be slowly but surely excluded from society or, as is now being discussed, perhaps seek out a third country. It would be a loss, not only for the Swedish-Iranians but also for Sweden, if people who are born here, who love Sweden and who feel loyalty towards Sweden are discriminated against because of a citizenship they cannot renounce.

If the USA can solve this, if Germany can solve this, if the UK can solve this, if many countries where there is a large group of people with an Iranian background have solved this, and if Sweden solved this until two years ago, then a solution should be findable. But it is not certain that the investigation will come with proposals for such a solution, because it is not in the directives. What do we do then? Then another year has passed where Swedish-Iranians have been excluded from large parts of the labor market.

Let us cooperate and find a solution to this!

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Yes, let us truly cooperate and discuss solutions, Ardalan Shekarabi! We can well engage in idea development where we stand, as they say.

Then I would still say - since this is also a way of sending signals to the citizens - that first and foremost it is not the case that people who have their background in Iran are excluded from large parts of the Swedish labor market. There are no rules that exclude Iranians, or for that matter other persons with dual citizenship, even from security-cleared positions. I think it is very important to say. So it is not in that way.

It is not only in the United Kingdom, the USA and other countries that people with an Iranian background have reached leading positions in our society. Ardalan Shekarabi mentioned, for example, two cabinet ministers in the sitting government who have their background in Iran, and Ardalan Shekarabi himself is such an example. I also see several here in the chamber who have a background that, so to speak, manifests the opposite. It is therefore not the case that something magical happened two years ago that has caused us to have a completely different order today.

I still dare to assert – or at least hope – that what we have seen Dagens Nyheter report on, despite everything, are exceptions that confirm the rule, so that all employers engaged in security screening here in the country shall know that it is not permitted to automatically screen out people based on citizenship or other factors, such as ethnic background. The point of security screenings is instead to make an individual assessment of whether there are vulnerabilities in the individual case.

The regulations have obviously not been sufficiently clear in that part. It may have been to the advantage of those who want to get in and who actually have vulnerabilities, that is to say that the security screening was not sufficiently robust. But it could also have had the opposite effect, that is to say that persons who fundamentally do not possess vulnerabilities are sorted out based on factors they themselves cannot influence. This means, therefore, unequal treatment and discrimination, which is not permitted – not even in the area of security screenings.

When it comes to the solutions, I must say that my starting point is not that people should have to renounce their foreign citizenship in order to be eligible for services in the Swedish state. That is, so to speak, not my first priority. One can, I imagine, have a long line of reasons for wanting to retain a foreign citizenship and combine it with a Swedish citizenship. In any case, it has not occurred to me as the first way to approach this problem.

Ardalan Shekarabi has several times previously raised the question of whether it is possible to find some kind of format, that is, a formalized procedure, where one so to speak renounces - in all cases in some kind of practical sense - their citizenship. I do not feel that persons with a Swedish-Iranian background should have to issue any declaration of loyalty to Sweden that other persons who come to Sweden do not need to express. Even there, there must be equal treatment.

I think it is worth discussing this further, but I have a small warning, namely that even the one who renounces a citizenship can have a vulnerability. That is what it is about: Does one, for example, have relations in their original home country that cause people to be exposed to harassment or reprisals? That is what lies behind the formal aspect that constitutes the possible vulnerability, and we will, so to speak, not get around that with just formal decisions.

I am very open to discussing the issues moving forward and finding solutions that ensure all people in this country both feel included and de facto are. Then we will see what is the right way forward.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Madam Speaker! I once again extend a big thank you to Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer. I am very pleased that the Minister of Justice is sending these clear signals against discrimination of Swedish-Iranians and for equal treatment of Swedish citizens.

The problem is that reality continues to look the way it does, and unfortunately, it is so in many industries that what was written in Dagens Nyheter about the exclusion of Swedish-Iranians is not exceptions that confirm the rule. I have so many examples in my inbox of people – in many cases they are actually born here – who have been excluded from services in the public sector, i.e., within the Swedish state, simply because they have Iranian roots.

This reality continues, therefore, and it is very dangerous. The entire Swedish cohesion and community in our society is built on the idea of equal treatment and the liberation of the human being through a state that views people in an equal way. Now we are facing a reality that is the opposite of this.

I am convinced that measures need to be taken, and I am very pleased that the Minister for Justice sees no obstacles to dual citizenship. But if it is indeed the case that we have a practical situation where Swedish-Iranians are excluded in this way, we must find a solution. If the solution is not that people somehow do what they can to show that they do not intend to take advantage of the Iranian citizenship, then another solution must be found as soon as possible that puts an end to this.

It is, in fact, very many people who are worried. I have recently had conversations with people who work in state agencies, who have worked there for 20 years and who now do not know if they will be able to keep their jobs at the next security clearance because they have Iranian roots. Those people must be given security. They must be given a solution. They are a part of Sweden, they love Sweden and they serve Sweden.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)

Madam Speaker! Ardalan Shekarabi raises the 100,000-130,000 people with roots in Iran who are in our country, many of them in leading positions throughout our society - several of them also in roles that are security-cleared, which requires a security screening.

These people shall feel completely and utterly assured that the fundamental principle in our country - even moving forward and taking into account a security situation that is more serious and more complicated, where many of the conflicting objectives are brought to the forefront and where the need for margins possibly becomes greater - is that their dual citizenship and the fact that they themselves are born in or have parents who have been born in Iran do not constitute a circumstance that causes them to be automatically sorted out from any services where security screening takes place.

Therefore, the signal to the operators who engage in security screenings is precisely this: It is not legal to sort people out based on citizenship. The whole point of security screenings is instead that one should look for vulnerabilities. It is also important to say that dual citizenship can be a vulnerability, but it is one in a long line of other vulnerabilities that have nothing to do at all with citizenship and background in another country.

What we want to achieve is, therefore, security screenings that are robust, so that we incorporate the realities we live with in a more serious security situation where countries such as Russia, China, and Iran are very offensive in their ways of promoting their interests in our country. At the same time, I think that the investigation itself is, on the contrary, a signal that this must occur in a legally secure manner that does not involve discrimination but is based on the principle that equal cases shall be treated equally and that the assessments shall be precisely individual.

There are great societal values that risk being lost if we do not succeed with this operation; I agree with that. On the other hand, I am very convinced that we will manage it - preferably in broad cooperation with one another.

The interpellation debate was hereby concluded.

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