Sweden did extradite soldiers, viewed at least by the soviets as nazis, to the NKVD.
Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers:
Quote:
The Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers, in Sweden known as Baltutlämningen ("The Balts Extradition"), was a disputed political event in Sweden during 1945-1946, where Sweden extradited 160 Baltic soldiers, who had fought for the Axis against the Soviet Union in World War II. As they had arrived in Sweden, they were detained in prison camps. On 2 June 1945, the Soviet Union demanded Sweden to extradite all Axis soldiers. The protocol was first kept secret. When it became public, it was supported by most of parliament, and the Swedish Communist Party wanted to go even further, by extrading all civilian refugees from the Baltic countries. Extradition was completed on 25 January.
Sweden also extradited about 3000 German soldiers, according to laws on prisoners of war. The Balts were however a more controversial case, since they were Soviet citizens (the Soviet Union had annexed the Baltic states before the war against Germany). The Soviets therefore regarded the Balts as traitors, and they feared death sentence.
|
This is no doubt a disgrace in my country's past, as the article says it is much debated. It is seen as unnecessary and cowardly. But all historic events must be seen in their context, if almost all of parliament supported it they must have had reasons they thought where good. Or?
Concerning the communists handed over to Gestapo, this was a time when communist ruled Russia in a bloody dictatorship and swedish and norwegian communists sided with Russia and hoped Russia would invade Sweden too, as she had invaded Finland, the baltic states and Poland. They were seen as potential traitors, a very real threat to national security in a time when this threat was high in general.
Furthermore the social democrats have always been strong in Sweden, and they compete with the communist over the same voters, that's another dimension to it, much more shady. For example, it was a crime under swedish law to join the (mainly communist) republican forces in Spain, but heroic to join the finnish forces.
I don't think the swedish or norwegian communists were that much of a threat, at this time their beacon of light the Soviet Union was morally bankrupt after dividing up Europe with the nazis. We should have just passed them on to the soviets, they would have wanted that, and the soviets would have executed them as spies or at least sent them to gulag for reeducation.