Young man acquitted in landmark case on online statements
A 26-year-old from Copenhagen has been acquitted of supporting terrorism through a comment on social media.
Young man acquitted in landmark case on online statements
A man in his mid-20s from Copenhagen was acquitted on Wednesday in a case concerning alleged support for terrorism. The court on Frederiksberg found the evidence insufficient.
The defendant had on 7 October 2023 – the same day as a major attack was carried out against Israel – written a comment below a news article on a major Danish newspaper's Facebook page. The article was headlined "Israel attacked with missiles".
The prosecutor had emphasised that the statement was made in connection with violent acts committed by Hamas against both soldiers and civilians. However, the defence argued that the young man was not aware that this was a full-scale terrorist attack when he wrote his comment.
The judges agreed with the defence's position and found that the authorities had not documented that the defendant possessed the requisite knowledge about the nature of the events.
The ruling joins a series of judgements that define when internet statements cross the line into criminal conduct under terrorism provisions.
Source: Politiken
Source: Politiken