With the final hearing scheduled for Thursday 28 May 2026, the largest and most significant trial in Swedish history is drawing to a close. The court is expected to deliver its verdict by the end of 2026.
The case
The defendants, Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter, are accused of complicity in war crimes in South Sudan. Between 1999 and 2003, they are alleged to have repeatedly asked the Sudanese government for military protection against local armed groups, knowing that the government army and associated militias were systematically committing war crimes. The resulting war is estimated to have claimed the lives of 12,000 people and inflicted deep wounds on society that are far from healed.
The Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office has sought the maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment for Ian Lundin and six years’ imprisonment for Alex Schneiter. Against Lundin/Orrön Energy, the Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking the confiscation of €230 million in criminal proceeds. The court will deliver its verdict in six months’ time.
Why is this case so important?
The Lundin case is not only significant for the tens of thousands of victims in South Sudan. It also marks a breakthrough for the international legal order because, for the first time since the Nuremberg trials in 1948, executives of large corporations are standing trial for complicity in war crimes. Meanwhile, a major case is also pending in France against the cement company Lafarge. Legal experts expect these cases to put an end to the de facto impunity enjoyed by companies that all too readily adapt to conditions of criminal injustice and violence. As a result of the legal proceedings against Lundin, companies are already adjusting their risk assessments in conflict zones.
In 2010, we brought the Lundin case before the Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office in the hope of securing justice for the victims. Among the 92 witnesses heard by the court were 34 South Sudanese victims. Their personal experiences constitute essential evidence that the population was systematically attacked, murdered, driven out and robbed. Some of these witnesses have been intimidated, threatened and attacked with the aim of disrupting the legal process. A criminal investigation has been opened in Sweden into the role of Ian Lundin and Alex Schneiter in these crimes. We are supporting the threatened witnesses in this matter.
With the end of the trial in sight, we hope that an end to impunity is also in sight. After all these years, the victims finally deserve justice and redress. This will hopefully create the space needed to heal the wounds left by this conflict.
Want to know more?
On our Unpaid Debt page, you can find more information about the legal case and watch videos of victims sharing their stories.
You can follow the trial in the podcast series Lundin War Crimes Trial. Several episodes have been produced in the Nuer language and are being broadcast on the radio to keep the communities informed about the trial.
The trial transcripts can be found on the Civil Rights Defenders and Justice Info websites.
