Swedish prosecutor drops case against Joost Klein
Swedish public prosecutor: There will be no case against Dutch Eurovision participant Joost Klein
The Swedish prosecutor has decided to drop the investigation into a case against Dutch Eurovision participant Joost Klein due to lack of evidence.
The Swedish public prosecutor's office made the announcement in a press release today.
Dutch singer Joost Klein was disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on the day of the Grand Final in Malmö due to allegations of inappropriate behavior toward a Eurovision photographer. Joost Klein competed in Semi-final 2 with the song "Europapa."
But now, the police have dropped the investigation on account of a lack of evidence.
Joost Klein has consistently denied having done anything wrong.
According to the prosecutors in the case, the Dutchman hit the photographer's camera, but it all happened very quickly and there are doubts as to what exactly happened.
According to SVT, witnesses who have been questioned have stated that they did not see the incident as threatening.
– Today I have closed the investigation because I cannot prove that the act was intended to cause serious fear or that the man had that intention, says senior prosecutor Frederik Jönsson in the press release.
Joost Klein has made a post on Instagram, where he describes the last few months as terrible: "There is no case against me, because there never was a case."
REACTION FROM JOOST KLEIN
The last couple of months were terrible. Even though I love to perform anywhere around the world, something didn't feel right. Why did we have to wait so long for an answer? Everyday I felt insecure whilst I knew the truth. There is no case against me, because there never was a case.
We should all take care of each other, we should all support each other, and we should ALL come together. Companies just want to protect their money and they tried to use me as a shield. A village against the city...
Guess what? LOVE ALWAYS WINS. TRUST THE PROCESS!!!!! EVEN THOUGH I LOST ALL HOPE
WE BACK NOW BABY!!! ALBUM MODE!!!!!!!
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has released a statement following the Swedish prosecutor’s decision to close the case:
STATEMENT FROM THE EBU
The EBU aims to ensure the Eurovision Song Contest is a show for everyone and is a safe place for staff, artists, guests and fans.
Like all responsible employers, we do not tolerate inappropriate behavior and will always respond to any workplace issues that are reported to us.
The decision to disqualify Mr. Klein from this year’s event was made in strict accordance with Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) rules and governance procedures, after an internal investigation.
In parallel, Swedish police decided to open a formal investigation into the conduct of Mr. Klein during the second Semi-final, which we understand was closed today without further action.
This was an investigation into whether a criminal act was committed and not whether Mr. Klein behaved inappropriately and breached ESC rules and procedures. This new development therefore does not have any impact on our decision which we stand by completely.
Source: EBU
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, who is responsible for the Netherland's Eurovision artist and song, has also released a statement, where they demand a meeting with the EBU with focus on the "unjust disqualification":
STATEMENT FROM AVROTROS
We have also just learned that the criminal investigation against Joost Klein has been suspended by the Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office because there is no evidence of criminal conduct.
From the beginning, we have said that this disqualification was unnecessary and disproportionate and so it now appears to be. We are still deeply disappointed that the Europa adventure of Joost Klein and of the entire Netherlands was brutally ended in this way.
The next step is to have a meeting with the EBU management about this matter at very short notice.
This meeting will focus on this unjust disqualification. We will also discuss all our other objections about the course of events behind the scenes at the Song Contest that we previously sent to the EBU in a comprehensive letter of objection, which to date has remained unanswered.
AVROTROS’ approach is and remains that the Song Contest is about artists and their musical message. The ball is now in the EBU’s court.
Source: AVROTROS
