Jan Emanuel reported to the Home Guard and was going to collect his clothes.
But pictures and videos he took then caused him to be prosecuted.
Now he is sentenced for illegal depiction of protected objects.
– Of course we will appeal, says Jan Emanuel after the verdict.
Jan Emanuel is sentenced for illegal depiction of protected objects after publishing pictures and videos from the Amphibious Regiment.
Photo: Christine Olsson / TT NEWS AGENCY
In April last year, Jan Emanuel, 50, visited the amphibious regiment in Berga, south of Stockholm. He was to pick up equipment after reporting to the Home Guard.
There he took pictures and videos with his mobile phone and some of them were posted on his Instagram.
This led to Jan Emanuel being reported for illegal depiction of protected objects.
“Jan Emanuel has, contrary to a special prohibition, depicted the protected object Amphibian Regiment by photographing and/or filming inside the protected object”is stated in the indictment, which was brought in February this year.
Jan Emanuel documented with his mobile phone the amphibious regiment in Berga and later posted on Instagram.
Photo: The police
In a picture Jan Emanuel published, he is wearing military clothes and the picture was taken in the warehouse where he picked up the clothes.
Jan Emanuel admits that he filmed inside the storage area in the protection area and says in questioning that he received information that you were allowed to photograph inside the amphibious regiment, but not the exterior of the building. However, he denies the accusations of having filmed outdoors at the Amphibious Regiment, footage published on Jan Emanuel’s Instagram account.
Today, Monday, the verdict came at the Södertörn district court.
The district court follows the prosecutor’s line and sentences Jan Emanuel for illegal depiction of protected objects. He is sentenced to 60 daily fines of SEK 810, equivalent to SEK 48,600.
In the judgment, the district court writes that Jan Emanuel should have understood that photography was prohibited in the entire area, including the material room. The grounds of the judgment state:
“The fact that Jan Emanuel chose to record the majority of films in the area despite this means that through his actions he can be considered to have been indifferent to the risk that his actions entailed an illegal depiction of the protected object in question.”
“Nonsense”
Jan Emanuel has previously said that he believes that the report against him is made by people who have a political agenda against “people like him”. According to him, more people have posted pictures from the scene without reports.
After the verdict, he is critical – both of the fact that he is considered guilty and of the amount of the fine.
– They have not taken into account what we highlighted in court, but follow the prosecutor’s line without her being able to provide evidence for what she claims, he says.
He believes that the district court should have taken the security policy situation into account.
– I am going to collect military equipment because I want to defend Sweden. I take a picture in order to communicate to young people during the election campaign to do the dirty work and adults to sign up for the Home Guard, because we are facing an emergency. And then I get punished, he says.
He calls the fine a trifle.
– I would guess that society put two or two million on this whole case, then they should at least give it to me as a fine. But 48,000? It is an additional farce in the whole situation, he says.
The verdict will be appealed, according to Jan Emanuel.
DEBATE: We took a selfie – now I risk prison
