Relatives of gang criminals cannot count on compensation when their parents or children are killed in gang conflicts, as several current cases from the spring produced by the news agency Siren highlight.
"This is terrible," says Eva-Britt Gabrielsen, chairman of the National Organization for Relatives of Violent Deaths.
Compensation for criminal damage from the state is available if a convicted offender cannot pay the damages – but not if the act is linked to organised crime.
• The children of a man who was shot dead at a restaurant in Östergötland in 2020 and who was a member of a criminal gang are denied criminal damage compensation. The Swedish Crime Victim Compensation Authority assesses that the man, through the connection to the gang, exposed himself to an increased risk of injury.
• The family of a man who was shot dead in Stockholm in the summer of 2020 is rejected because, according to police, the man was a leading figure in a criminal network with violent capital and who was in conflict with other gangs.
• In a third case from the past month, the family of a man who was shot dead in Stockholm in 2021 is denied because, according to the Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority, it was a deal in criminal circles.
Practice after murder
The first decision of this kind was made in January last year, in a trial following the murder of 19-year-old Ndella Jack, who was shot dead in late summer 2019. Ndella Jack's husband was denied family compensation because the murder was caused by his involvement in criminal activity. The decision was considered to consolidate the Crime Victim Compensation Authority's practice.
Relatives develop proposals
The government is currently reviewing the entire compensation system for relatives, and the National Organization for Relatives of Violent Victims is pushing for a change, and believes that there is a risk of another violation for those who are denied compensation. Before the summer, the organization will present proposals for new regulations.
"If the court awards damages, the right to compensation should be clear, instead of the Swedish Crime Victim Compensation Authority making its own assessment," says the organisation's chairman Eva-Britt Gabrielsen.