A doctor in Sweden is suspected of assault after police interrupted a circumcision session in Uppsala on Sunday, according to Dagens Nyheter. The physician was arrested during the operation and held on suspicion of aggravated assault before being released about a day later, when the prosecutor downgraded the classification to assault of a normal degree.
Three people have now been formally notified that they are suspected of crimes in connection with the case, Dagens Nyheter reports. The doctor denies the allegation against him, his defence lawyer Stefan Wallin told the newspaper.
Why it matters
Male circumcision is legal in Sweden, but only under specific conditions, and the case turns on whether those conditions were met. The investigation is being handled by a prosecutors' office in Örebro that specialises in offences committed in healthcare settings, underscoring how the matter sits at the intersection of medical practice, religious tradition and criminal law.
The case has also drawn attention because a boy who had undergone the procedure was taken to hospital for surgery after the police operation. The boy has since been discharged, according to Dagens Nyheter.
Lawyer says the doctor answered every question
Wallin told Dagens Nyheter that his client has accounted for every aspect of his work. The lawyer said the doctor explained to police which materials he used, how he sterilised his equipment, how he stored his instruments and how he ensured the procedure was carried out correctly.
"And then they released him, there was not a single follow-up question," Wallin said, describing his client as having complied with all requirements and rules.
Wallin also said the doctor questions why the boy was taken to hospital at all. The lawyer said he has no specific information about the reason for the hospital transfer and that his client felt the procedures he performed had gone entirely smoothly.
Prosecutor focuses on anaesthesia and hygiene
Prosecutor Emma Haals told Dagens Nyheter on Tuesday that the alleged victims in the case are all boys. She declined to specify how many or their ages, but said there are several, and that there is no information suggesting any girls are complainants.
Haals said the central question for the investigation is whether the procedures on the boys met legal requirements on pain relief and hygiene. She said the arrest was based on circumstances at the scene and on the fact that one boy who had been circumcised needed to be taken to hospital for an operation.
The case has since been passed to prosecutor Hanna Göthberg at the Örebro chamber. She told Dagens Nyheter on Wednesday that she had only just received the file and had not yet had time to review it, and declined to comment further.
What Swedish law allows
Under Swedish rules, circumcision of boys — the full or partial removal of the foreskin — is permitted only when performed by a licensed physician or by a person holding a special permit issued by the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, known as Ivo. Such permits are granted to individuals nominated by religious communities in which circumcision forms part of a tradition, provided the person meets competence requirements.
The procedure must be carried out with pain relief and under safe hygienic conditions. Consent is required from the child's guardians — from both if there are two — and the boy's own wishes must be respected. If he is old enough and sufficiently mature, he must be informed about the procedure, which may not be performed against his will.
Female genital mutilation is prohibited by law in Sweden and can carry a prison sentence. The distinction between the two procedures has been a recurring theme in Swedish public debate, and coverage of the Uppsala case has included commentary from people with personal experience of the issue.
What to watch
The Örebro prosecutors' office must now decide how to proceed once it has reviewed the file, while the doctor's account to police — that every requirement was met — remains the core of his defence. Watch for the prosecutors' assessment of the hygiene and anaesthesia conditions at the Uppsala premises.
