Anna Lindh
Encyclopedia
Ylva Anna Maria Lindh was a Swedish
Social Democratic
politician
, Chairman of the Social Democratic Youth League 1984-1990, Member of Parliament 1982-1985 and 1998-2003. Ascending to the government as Minister of Environment in 1994, she was elevated to Minister for Foreign Affairs by Prime Minister Göran Persson
in 1998 and was widely considered his designated successor as Party Chairman and Prime Minister (none of which had been occupied by a woman), speculations that came to a brutal end upon her assassination
on 11 September 2003. Anna Lindh was married to Bo Holmberg
, the Governor of Södermanland
, her home constituency for over twenty years, with whom she had two sons.
, a southeastern suburb of Stockholm
, but grew up in Grillby, just outside of Enköping
. She became involved in politics at age twelve, when she joined the local branch of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League
, protesting against the Vietnam war
as one of her top priorities.
Lindh studied at Uppsala University
and graduated as a Candidate of Law
(jur. kand.) in 1982. The same year she was elected a Member of Parliament
. In 1984 she became the first female president of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. Her six years as president were marked by a strong commitment to international affairs, including in Nicaragua
, Vietnam
, South Africa
and Palestine
, and against the arms race
marking the end of the cold war
.
Lindh served as a Member of Parliament until 1985, and again from 1998. From 1991 to 1994 she was Commissioner of Culture and Environment and Deputy Mayor of Stockholm. In 1994, following a Social Democratic victory, the new Prime Minister of Sweden
Ingvar Carlsson
made her Minister for the Environment. One of her resulting legacies is her pioneering work towards European Union
legislation on hazardous chemical substances. She also urged for the establishment of a common EU strategy against acidification
.
Following the 1998 general election
, Göran Persson
appointed Lindh to succeed Lena Hjelm-Wallén
as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new Government. Having made influential friends across the world during her time leading the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League, Lindh ardently supported international cooperation, both through the United Nations
and in the European Union.
A high point in Lindh's career came during the Swedish Presidency of the European Union
during the first half of 2001. She served as Chairman of the Council of the European Union
, with responsibility for representing the official foreign policy position of the European Union as a whole. Travelling with the EU foreign and security policy spokesman Javier Solana
in Macedonia
during the Kosovo/Macedonian crisis, she negotiated an agreement that averted a civil war in the country.
Lindh criticised the 2003 invasion of Iraq
, commenting that "a war being fought without support in the statutes of the United Nations is a major failure", but praised the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein
. She also advocated greater respect for international law and human rights in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
, criticising Ariel Sharon
's government in Israel
, but also condemning Palestinian
suicide bombings as "atrocities". In a speech on 30 January 2003, she called on Israel to "end the occupation, give up settlements, and agree on a pragmatic solution to Jerusalem" and on the Palestinians to "do everything in their power to stop the terrorist acts, and take legal measures against those responsible" and to "produce reform, for security, but also for democracy and human rights".
Lindh was generally seen as prime candidate to succeed Göran Persson
as Chairman of the Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Sweden
, which posts had not been held by a woman at the time. In the final weeks of her life, she was intensely involved in the pro-euro campaign preceding the Swedish referendum on the euro
, held on 14 September 2003, three days after her death. As one of the most popular pro-euro politicians, she was used as a front person by the campaign, and so her face was on billboards all over Sweden the day she was murdered.
In April 2004, Lindh was posthumously awarded the 'Statesman of the Year Award' by the EastWest Institute
, a transatlantic think tank
that organizes an annual Security Conference in Brussels
. The meeting room number 50.4 on the fifth floor of the Justus Lipsius European Council
building in Brussels was named Anna Lindh in her honour.
Anna Lindh died on the early morning of 11 September 2003, following a knife attack
in Stockholm on the afternoon of September 10. Just after 4 p.m., she was attacked while shopping in the ladies' department at the Nordiska Kompaniet
department store in central Stockholm. She was stabbed in the chest, stomach and arms. At the time of the attack, Lindh was not protected by bodyguard
s from the Swedish Security Service
, a controversial predicament similar to that of Prime Minister Olof Palme
in 1986, the second murder of a government member in Sweden's modern history.
Following the assault she was rushed to the Karolinska Hospital
where she underwent surgery for over nine hours, receiving blood transfusions continuously during the surgery. She reportedly suffered serious internal bleeding, her liver was seriously damaged, and her medical situation remained grave, although at first she appeared to have improved following surgery. One hour after concluding the initial nine-hour surgery, complications forced resumption of surgery. At 5:29 a.m. she was pronounced dead. Following a private briefing of her relatives and the interior of the government, juxtaposed by news coverage stating that she was alive and that the situation was "grave" but "stable", the announcement of her passing made headlines over Europe hours later.
The murderer was able to escape after the crime. According to eyewitness accounts, his actions appeared deliberate and systematic. A phone number was set up for anyone who might know anything about the crime, and a massive manhunt was launched in Sweden, centred on Stockholm. After two days an image of a man, believed to be the murderer, was released by the police. This image was taken by a camera on a floor above the scene of the murder. A few items, pieces of clothing and a knife, believed to be connected with the murder were found outside the department store, in the vicinity of a Stockholm Metro
station. At the scene of the crime the police were able to secure a handprint, also believed to be connected to the killer. Images from the department store's surveillance system, showing the suspect, were published on 13 and 14 September.
A man was apprehended on 16 September and was detained as a suspect to the murder on justifiable grounds, the lowest degree of suspicion but was cleared of all charges and released. On 24 September the police announced that a new suspect, Mijailo Mijailović
, born in Sweden to Serb parents, had been apprehended and arrested at the higher level of suspicion, probable cause
. On 25 September it was announced that the DNA-profile
of Mijailović matches that of hairs found on a baseball cap which had been left at or near the scene of the crime. He also resembles the man filmed in the store where Lindh was attacked.
After previously having denied all involvement, on 6 January 2004, Mijailović admitted to the crime and gave a full account of the events of 10 September, in an extra session of police questioning requested by Peter Althin
, Mijailović's counsel. He was found guilty in a trial (held 14-17 January), and following psychiatric evaluation he was sentenced to life imprisonment
on 23 March. However, on 8 July an appeals court overturned Mijailović's sentence after tests had concluded that he was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the killing. He was then transferred from prison to a closed psychiatric ward. Prosecutors re-appealed to the Supreme Court of Sweden
, which re-instated the sentence of life imprisonment
on 2 December of that year. Mijailović legally renounced his Swedish citizenship and expressed his willingness to be transferred to Serbia, but unsuccessfully so far, given the nature of the crime. Anna Lindh was the second prominent Swedish politician to be murdered in recent decades. Prime Minister Olof Palme
was shot and killed in 1986 by a still unidentified assailant (Christer Pettersson
was convicted, but successfully appealed the verdict and was released).
Despite Lindh's popular image and the time of the assassination, the murder was not deemed an act of partisan political gain, although news coverage revealed Mijailović was captured on image listening to Liberal People's Party
leader Lars Leijonborg
wearing similar attire to that during the course of murder. Mijailović admitted he found the speech "entertaining", but denied claims it had influenced his actions.
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Anna Lindh was an outspoken campaigner for Sweden to join the euro
in the referendum held on 14 September
. Following the attack, all euro-campaign events, for both the yes and no camps, were immediately cancelled. Television campaign commercials were withdrawn from broadcasting, in fact, all channels in Sweden stopped commercials airing between the evening on the 10th and the whole 11th while helping the public-service
channels of SVT
to report news. TV3 merged broadcasting with ZTV and TV8 airing "Efterlyst
" (a program similar to America's Most Wanted
), where the people could send information directly to the police that could help trace the murderer. All campaign advertising on billboards was to be removed, advertising in printed media cancelled etc. The murder was widely interpreted as an assassination of the free and open society that is a hallmark for Sweden and that this was a time for unity rather than political campaigning.
Following a meeting, held 12 September at midday, with Prime Minister Göran Persson and the leaders of the other political parties in the Riksdag
, the decision was taken not to let the murder affect the schedule of the referendum. Information and resources on the issues of the referendum were to be fully available but no political campaigning or debate was to take place. The party leaders unanimously pledged support for holding the ballot as planned and to respect and abide by the outcome. Despite speculations that the sympathy for Lindh could influence the voting, the euro was rejected in the referendum.
Following Lindh's death, the junior minister in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Jan O. Karlsson
, was made acting Minister for Foreign Affairs. In October of that year, Laila Freivalds
was appointed as the successor to Anna Lindh's Cabinet post.
A number of commemorative gatherings were held for Lindh throughout Sweden and worldwide through the Church of Sweden Abroad
, on 12-13 September. One gathering was held in the centre of Stockholm where tens of thousands gathered to grieve Anna Lindh. A more formal commemorative gathering was held at Stockholm City Hall
on 19 September. Speakers at this gathering were H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Prime Minister Göran Persson, Chris Patten
, Margot Wallström
, European Commission
ers, and the Swedish
-speaking George Papandreou
, Foreign Minister of Greece
. U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell
could not participate because storms prevented his plane from taking off, but he sent his condolences. The burial ceremony was held privately on 20 September, at the Church of Ersta in Stockholm. Lindh's grave is in the cemetery of the nearby Katarina Kyrka
. Many thousands of roses and candles were placed both at Rosenbad
(the government building) and outside NK, where she was murdered. Abroad, hundreds of thousands of flowers and candles were left at Swedish embassies and consulates by mourners.
The Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy position at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
was established in memory of her. The current occupant of the chair is the human rights advocate Samantha Power
.
The library at the Swedish National Defence College (Försvarshögskolan) is named The Anna Lindh Library in her memory.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Social Democratic
Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, Chairman of the Social Democratic Youth League 1984-1990, Member of Parliament 1982-1985 and 1998-2003. Ascending to the government as Minister of Environment in 1994, she was elevated to Minister for Foreign Affairs by Prime Minister Göran Persson
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson was the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Conceding defeat in the September 2006 general election, he announced that he would resign as party leader, and Mona Sahlin was elected to succeed him as...
in 1998 and was widely considered his designated successor as Party Chairman and Prime Minister (none of which had been occupied by a woman), speculations that came to a brutal end upon her assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
on 11 September 2003. Anna Lindh was married to Bo Holmberg
Bo Holmberg
Bo Lindor Holmberg , born in Härnösand, Västernorrlands län, Sweden, was a Swedish politician, Governor of Södermanland, and widower of former Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Anna Lindh....
, the Governor of Södermanland
Södermanland County
Södermanland County is a county or län on the south east coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to the Baltic sea....
, her home constituency for over twenty years, with whom she had two sons.
Political career
Lindh was born to Staffan and Nancy Lindh in EnskedeEnskede-Årsta borough
Enskede-Årsta was a so called borough in the southern part of Stockholm, Sweden from 1998 to 1 January 2007. It was formed when the boroughs of Enskede and Årsta merged, and was primarily made up of Enskede and Årsta. The other districts that made up the borough were Johanneshov, Stureby and...
, a southeastern suburb of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, but grew up in Grillby, just outside of Enköping
Enköping
Enköping is a locality and the seat of Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 20,204 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Enköping is situated near Lake Mälaren, about 78 km west of Stockholm....
. She became involved in politics at age twelve, when she joined the local branch of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League
Swedish Social Democratic Youth League
The Swedish Social Democratic Youth League is a branch of the Swedish social democratic party Socialdemokraterna and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation...
, protesting against the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as one of her top priorities.
Lindh studied at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
and graduated as a Candidate of Law
Candidate of Law
Candidate of Law is the degree awarded to jurists who have passed the law exam in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland after studying law for about 5–6 years....
(jur. kand.) in 1982. The same year she was elected a Member of Parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
. In 1984 she became the first female president of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. Her six years as president were marked by a strong commitment to international affairs, including in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, and against the arms race
Arms race
The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
marking the end of the cold war
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Lindh served as a Member of Parliament until 1985, and again from 1998. From 1991 to 1994 she was Commissioner of Culture and Environment and Deputy Mayor of Stockholm. In 1994, following a Social Democratic victory, the new Prime Minister of Sweden
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Ingvar Carlsson
Ingvar Carlsson
Gösta Ingvar Carlsson is a Swedish politician, Prime Minister of Sweden and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party ....
made her Minister for the Environment. One of her resulting legacies is her pioneering work towards European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
legislation on hazardous chemical substances. She also urged for the establishment of a common EU strategy against acidification
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
.
Following the 1998 general election
Elections in Sweden
Elections in the Kingdom of Sweden are held every four years, and determine the makeup of the legislative bodies on the three levels of administrative division in the country. At the highest level, these elections determine the allocation of seats in the Riksdag, the national legislative body of...
, Göran Persson
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson was the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Conceding defeat in the September 2006 general election, he announced that he would resign as party leader, and Mona Sahlin was elected to succeed him as...
appointed Lindh to succeed Lena Hjelm-Wallén
Lena Hjelm-Wallén
Lena Birgitta Hjelm-Wallén is a Swedish Social Democratic politician. 1968 became Hjelm-Wallén a member of the Swedish Parliament and she held several cabinet positions. Starting in 1974 as the youngest minister to that date...
as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new Government. Having made influential friends across the world during her time leading the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League, Lindh ardently supported international cooperation, both through the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and in the European Union.
A high point in Lindh's career came during the Swedish Presidency of the European Union
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union that rotates between the member states of the European Union every six months. The presidency is not a single president but rather the task is undertaken by a national...
during the first half of 2001. She served as Chairman of the Council of the European Union
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union that rotates between the member states of the European Union every six months. The presidency is not a single president but rather the task is undertaken by a national...
, with responsibility for representing the official foreign policy position of the European Union as a whole. Travelling with the EU foreign and security policy spokesman Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
in Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
during the Kosovo/Macedonian crisis, she negotiated an agreement that averted a civil war in the country.
Lindh criticised the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, commenting that "a war being fought without support in the statutes of the United Nations is a major failure", but praised the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. She also advocated greater respect for international law and human rights in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
, criticising Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
's government in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, but also condemning Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
suicide bombings as "atrocities". In a speech on 30 January 2003, she called on Israel to "end the occupation, give up settlements, and agree on a pragmatic solution to Jerusalem" and on the Palestinians to "do everything in their power to stop the terrorist acts, and take legal measures against those responsible" and to "produce reform, for security, but also for democracy and human rights".
Lindh was generally seen as prime candidate to succeed Göran Persson
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson was the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Conceding defeat in the September 2006 general election, he announced that he would resign as party leader, and Mona Sahlin was elected to succeed him as...
as Chairman of the Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Sweden
Prime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
, which posts had not been held by a woman at the time. In the final weeks of her life, she was intensely involved in the pro-euro campaign preceding the Swedish referendum on the euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
, held on 14 September 2003, three days after her death. As one of the most popular pro-euro politicians, she was used as a front person by the campaign, and so her face was on billboards all over Sweden the day she was murdered.
In April 2004, Lindh was posthumously awarded the 'Statesman of the Year Award' by the EastWest Institute
EastWest Institute
The EastWest Institute , originally known as the Institute for East West Security Studies, is an international not-for-profit, non-partisan "think and do" tank focusing on international conflict resolution through a variety of means, including track 2 diplomacy and track 1.5 diplomacy , hosting...
, a transatlantic think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
that organizes an annual Security Conference in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The meeting room number 50.4 on the fifth floor of the Justus Lipsius European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
building in Brussels was named Anna Lindh in her honour.
Murder
Stabbing
A stabbing is penetration with a sharp or pointed object at close range. Stab connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others.Stabbing differs from slashing or cutting in that the motion of the object used in a stabbing...
in Stockholm on the afternoon of September 10. Just after 4 p.m., she was attacked while shopping in the ladies' department at the Nordiska Kompaniet
Nordiska Kompaniet
Nordiska Kompaniet is the name of two department stores located in Stockholm and Gothenburg, in Sweden....
department store in central Stockholm. She was stabbed in the chest, stomach and arms. At the time of the attack, Lindh was not protected by bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s from the Swedish Security Service
Swedish Security Service
The Swedish Security Service , former name Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning , is the security service of Sweden, belonging to the Swedish National Police Board....
, a controversial predicament similar to that of Prime Minister Olof Palme
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
in 1986, the second murder of a government member in Sweden's modern history.
Following the assault she was rushed to the Karolinska Hospital
Karolinska University Hospital
The Karolinska University Hospital is a university hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, with two major sites in the municipalities of Huddinge and Solna....
where she underwent surgery for over nine hours, receiving blood transfusions continuously during the surgery. She reportedly suffered serious internal bleeding, her liver was seriously damaged, and her medical situation remained grave, although at first she appeared to have improved following surgery. One hour after concluding the initial nine-hour surgery, complications forced resumption of surgery. At 5:29 a.m. she was pronounced dead. Following a private briefing of her relatives and the interior of the government, juxtaposed by news coverage stating that she was alive and that the situation was "grave" but "stable", the announcement of her passing made headlines over Europe hours later.
Criminal investigation
Stockholm Metro
The Stockholm Metro is a metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are seven lines numbered from 10 to 19, in three groups identified by a color: the Green, Red and Blue lines...
station. At the scene of the crime the police were able to secure a handprint, also believed to be connected to the killer. Images from the department store's surveillance system, showing the suspect, were published on 13 and 14 September.
A man was apprehended on 16 September and was detained as a suspect to the murder on justifiable grounds, the lowest degree of suspicion but was cleared of all charges and released. On 24 September the police announced that a new suspect, Mijailo Mijailović
Mijailo Mijailovic
Mijailo Mijailović is the self-confessed and convicted assassin of the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Anna Lindh, whom he stabbed on 10 September 2003 at the NK department store in Stockholm...
, born in Sweden to Serb parents, had been apprehended and arrested at the higher level of suspicion, probable cause
Probable cause
In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which an officer or agent of the law has the grounds to make an arrest, to conduct a personal or property search, or to obtain a warrant for arrest, etc. when criminal charges are being considered. It is also used to refer to the...
. On 25 September it was announced that the DNA-profile
Genetic fingerprinting
DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier...
of Mijailović matches that of hairs found on a baseball cap which had been left at or near the scene of the crime. He also resembles the man filmed in the store where Lindh was attacked.
After previously having denied all involvement, on 6 January 2004, Mijailović admitted to the crime and gave a full account of the events of 10 September, in an extra session of police questioning requested by Peter Althin
Peter Althin
Peter Althin, is a Swedish attorney and politician and a member of the Swedish parliament for the Christian Democrats from 2002 to 2007....
, Mijailović's counsel. He was found guilty in a trial (held 14-17 January), and following psychiatric evaluation he was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
on 23 March. However, on 8 July an appeals court overturned Mijailović's sentence after tests had concluded that he was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the killing. He was then transferred from prison to a closed psychiatric ward. Prosecutors re-appealed to the Supreme Court of Sweden
Supreme Court of Sweden
The Supreme Court of Sweden is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of...
, which re-instated the sentence of life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
on 2 December of that year. Mijailović legally renounced his Swedish citizenship and expressed his willingness to be transferred to Serbia, but unsuccessfully so far, given the nature of the crime. Anna Lindh was the second prominent Swedish politician to be murdered in recent decades. Prime Minister Olof Palme
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
was shot and killed in 1986 by a still unidentified assailant (Christer Pettersson
Christer Pettersson
Christer Pettersson was a Swedish criminal who was a suspect in the 1986 assassination of Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden...
was convicted, but successfully appealed the verdict and was released).
Despite Lindh's popular image and the time of the assassination, the murder was not deemed an act of partisan political gain, although news coverage revealed Mijailović was captured on image listening to Liberal People's Party
Liberal People's Party
There are several political parties named Liberal People's Party in English:*Liberaalinen Kansanpuolue in Finland*Det Liberale Folkeparti in Norway*Folkpartiet Liberalerna in SwedenSee also the list of liberal parties....
leader Lars Leijonborg
Lars Leijonborg
Lars Erik Ansgar Leijonborg is a Swedish politician, Minister for Higher Education and Research 2006-2009 and Head of the Ministry of Education and Research 2006-2007...
wearing similar attire to that during the course of murder. Mijailović admitted he found the speech "entertaining", but denied claims it had influenced his actions.
Reaction
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
in the referendum held on 14 September
Swedish euro referendum, 2003
A referendum on introduction of the euro was held in Sweden on 14 September 2003.The voter turnout was 82.6%, and the suggestion failed by 55.9% against 42.0%. Sweden in Europe was the main umbrella group campigning for a Yes vote.-Result:...
. Following the attack, all euro-campaign events, for both the yes and no camps, were immediately cancelled. Television campaign commercials were withdrawn from broadcasting, in fact, all channels in Sweden stopped commercials airing between the evening on the 10th and the whole 11th while helping the public-service
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
channels of SVT
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
to report news. TV3 merged broadcasting with ZTV and TV8 airing "Efterlyst
Efterlyst
Efterlyst is a Swedish TV program, equivalent of America's Most Wanted. The show plays security camera footage, reconstructions of crimes, and then takes calls and tips from the Swedish public...
" (a program similar to America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
), where the people could send information directly to the police that could help trace the murderer. All campaign advertising on billboards was to be removed, advertising in printed media cancelled etc. The murder was widely interpreted as an assassination of the free and open society that is a hallmark for Sweden and that this was a time for unity rather than political campaigning.
Following a meeting, held 12 September at midday, with Prime Minister Göran Persson and the leaders of the other political parties in the Riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
, the decision was taken not to let the murder affect the schedule of the referendum. Information and resources on the issues of the referendum were to be fully available but no political campaigning or debate was to take place. The party leaders unanimously pledged support for holding the ballot as planned and to respect and abide by the outcome. Despite speculations that the sympathy for Lindh could influence the voting, the euro was rejected in the referendum.
Following Lindh's death, the junior minister in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Jan O. Karlsson
Jan O. Karlsson
Jan Olov Karlsson , Swedish politician, former President of the European Court of Auditors, and former Minister for Development Cooperation, Migration and Asylum Policy from 2002 and from September 11, 2003 to October 10, 2003 acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, following the murder of Anna...
, was made acting Minister for Foreign Affairs. In October of that year, Laila Freivalds
Laila Freivalds
Laila Ligita Freivalds is a Swedish Social Democratic politician and a former Swedish Minister for Justice, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister....
was appointed as the successor to Anna Lindh's Cabinet post.
A number of commemorative gatherings were held for Lindh throughout Sweden and worldwide through the Church of Sweden Abroad
Church of Sweden Abroad
The Church of Sweden Abroad - in Swedish: Svenska kyrkan i utlandet - is accountable to a special committee under the General Synod of the Church of Sweden and is under the episcopal oversight of the Bishop of Visby. SKUT has approximately 45 congregations throughout the world, concentrated in...
, on 12-13 September. One gathering was held in the centre of Stockholm where tens of thousands gathered to grieve Anna Lindh. A more formal commemorative gathering was held at Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall is the building of the Municipal Council for the City of Stockholm in Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands of Riddarholmen and Södermalm. It houses offices and conference rooms as well as...
on 19 September. Speakers at this gathering were H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Prime Minister Göran Persson, Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
, Margot Wallström
Margot Wallström
Margot Elisabeth Wallström is a Swedish social democratic, currently holding the job as . Prior to this post, she served as European Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy...
, European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
ers, and the Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
-speaking George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou
Georgios A. Papandreou , commonly anglicised to George and shortened to Γιώργος in Greek, is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece following his party's victory in the 2009 legislative election...
, Foreign Minister of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. U.S. Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
could not participate because storms prevented his plane from taking off, but he sent his condolences. The burial ceremony was held privately on 20 September, at the Church of Ersta in Stockholm. Lindh's grave is in the cemetery of the nearby Katarina Kyrka
Katarina kyrka
Katarina kyrka is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s...
. Many thousands of roses and candles were placed both at Rosenbad
Rosenbad
Rosenbad is a building in central Stockholm, precinct of Norrmalm, designed by Art Nouveau architect Ferdinand Boberg and completed in 1902. It is located on Strömgatan on the North side of the river Norrström...
(the government building) and outside NK, where she was murdered. Abroad, hundreds of thousands of flowers and candles were left at Swedish embassies and consulates by mourners.
The Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy position at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
was established in memory of her. The current occupant of the chair is the human rights advocate Samantha Power
Samantha Power
Samantha Power is an Irish American academic, governmental official and writer. She is currently a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and runs the Office of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights as Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs on the Staff of the National Security Council...
.
The library at the Swedish National Defence College (Försvarshögskolan) is named The Anna Lindh Library in her memory.
Miscellaneous
- The Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between CulturesAnna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue Between CulturesThe Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue Between Cultures is a network of civil society organisations dedicated to promoting intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean region....
, set up by the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and partner countries in the Southern Mediterranean region was named after her: the Anna Lindh Foundation. The Foundation aims to bring people and organisations from the two sides of the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
closer together, and to reduce gaps between them. - The translation of the memorial: "Minister for Foreign Affairs Anna Lindh held her last speech at the stairway outside Medborgarhuset [House of the citizens] the 9th of September 2003"
See also
- Government of SwedenGovernment of SwedenThe Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
- Referendums in SwedenReferendums in SwedenSince the introduction of parliamentarism in Sweden, six referendums have been held. The constitution of 1974 provides for binding referendums. However, none of the referendums held have been binding but rather have been of an advisory and consultative nature and not formally binding on the...
- Anna Lindh Memorial FundAnna Lindh Memorial FundThe Anna Lindh Memorial Fund is a memorial fund started to commemorate the Swedish politician Anna Lindh, who was assassinated in 2003...
- Anna Lindh Euro-Med Foundation for the dialogue between cultures