"Anna's" trial was canceled in the wake of the corona pandemic

After repeated violence from her partner, Anna, who is actually called something else, got enough and made a police report. Since then, she has lived in uncertainty. First while waiting for the police investigation to be completed and then waiting for a trial.

- For me, it has been hard to just cope with everyday life during this time.

Three years after her report, the trial was booked until May this year. Then she hoped to get the restoration and the end she was waiting for. However, the accused was abroad and the prevailing travel restrictions put an end to the defendants' ability to go to trial.

Now that the restrictions have been lifted, it has still not been possible to book a new trial until the beginning of next year.

- Now I just want to move on and then it feels like stumbling on the finish line and very frustrating to have to wait another year.

Her trial is not the only one that has been postponed in the spring. Statistics compiled by SVT from the Swedish Courts Administration show that 39 of Sweden's 48 district courts conducted fewer negotiations during the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. In total, there are almost 5,000 fewer completed negotiations.

The explanation is that the corona pandemic has meant that many trials have had to be canceled or postponed when the parties involved have shown cold symptoms or have not been able to attend the hearing. The fact that a third of the judges in Sweden are over 70 years old and thus in a risk group has not helped.

But some courts stand out and have conducted more negotiations this year compared to the average for the same period in previous years. In Blekinge, the number of completed negotiations has increased by almost 20 percent.

In some courts, the idea is that the postponed trials will be resumed in the autumn. Among other things at Södertörn District Court, where there has been the largest reduction in completed negotiations during the spring.

Something that Södertörn District Court believes is under control, but in other courts, staff express concern about the consequences this has for legal security and the workload.