Gustav Gellerbrant, a senior official in the Sweden Democrats, is suing the Social Democrats for gross defamation after the party used him to disparage SD in the final push of the election campaign. In a social media post, the Social Democrats identified him as a potential future SD minister and accused him of, among other things, connections to the Russian intelligence sphere. The allegations are based on information from the far-left exposé site Expo, but no concrete evidence has been presented to support claims that Gellerbrant has such ties. His legal representative believes the Social Democrats have crossed all boundaries and that the accusations are entirely unfounded.
The legal dispute centers on a post published by the Social Democrats on Facebook and Instagram on September 8, just days before the parliamentary election.
Under the headline “Who will be SD’s 12 ministers?” the party presented a fictitious resume for Gustav Gellerbrant, who at the time was head of the Sweden Democrats’ coordination office in the Government Offices and one of party leader Jimmie Åkesson’s closest aides.
In the fictional CV, the Social Democrats highlighted several accusations against the SD official. Among other things, they claimed that he was exposed in 2026 as having ties to the Russian intelligence sphere through his partner, who also works as a political secretary for the Sweden Democrats in Parliament.
The party also referred to previous reports of suspected secret share deals that would have contravened Government Offices’ regulations.
Now, Gellerbrant has decided to take legal action against the Social Democrats. According to Sveriges Radio, his lawyer, Iman Bayazi, considers the party guilty of gross defamation by making these publications.
– The Social Democratic Labour Party has really crossed all boundaries here, Bayazi told SR.
In several posts, the Social Democrats have continued to pursue the issue of SD’s “connection to the Russian intelligence sphere.” In one of the posts it says:
“It’s about SD’s highest political official Gustav Gellerbrant, who works in the prime minister’s office, who has links to suspected Russian infiltration.”
“The Sweden Democrats’ connection to the Russian intelligence sphere continues to grow internationally,” claims another post. However, no actual link to the Russian intelligence sphere has been substantiated by anyone.
“Can Be Compared to a False Criminal Record”
Gellerbrant’s lawyer argues that there is a clear line regarding what accusations can be directed at an individual, even if that person holds a prominent political position. According to Bayazi, Gellerbrant’s senior role does not mean he should have to accept being portrayed as a criminal or morally reprehensible.
– The legislation is quite clear. You cannot designate someone as a criminal or morally reprehensible in their way of life or when performing their official duties, he tells SR.
In an interview with Expressen, Bayazi further criticizes the Social Democrats’ post, comparing it to a false criminal record. According to the lawyer, the accusations against Gellerbrant are baseless.
– The post can, in principle, be equated to a false criminal record. And they did this just a few days before the 2026 election.
The grounds for the charge of gross defamation include the widespread dissemination of the Social Democrats’ post.
Bayazi emphasizes that the party, through its social media accounts with tens of thousands of followers, has a significant ability to spread its messages and that the serious accusations against Gellerbrant have thus reached a large audience.
Social Democrats Used Expo Campaign
The background to the Social Democrats’ publication was an investigation by the far-left exposé site Expo in early September. Expo highlighted that Gellerbrant’s partner, who works for SD in Parliament, had for several years allegedly spread “pro-Russian messages” on social media, in some cases in posts as old as twelve years.
Furthermore, the far-left exposé site tried to link her to the Russian state through her involvement in a theater organization in Stockholm, which reportedly had previously received financial support from Russia.
According to the theater director, it has been several years since such grants were last given. One of the mentioned grants was supposedly mediated through a Russian compatriot organization under the Russian Foreign Ministry. Expo writes that there are close ties to Russian intelligence services.
The support from the organization to the theater reportedly totaled about 1,000 euros per event and was intended for children’s theater. This reportedly occurred on two or three occasions.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, those in charge of the theater no longer wanted to receive support from the Russian state. Therefore, the theater has not received any more such support and instead focused on membership fees and donations from the Russian diaspora in Sweden.
Expo’s exposé quickly gained traction in establishment media, and the Social Democrats were quick to take advantage of the allegations in the final phase of the election campaign.
The party made the accusations a recurring element in its campaign and repeated Expo’s claims in both social media posts and public statements and political debates.
The Social Democrats spoke of Russian infiltration in the Government Offices and demanded that both Gellerbrant and his partner be suspended from their positions.
Gellerbrant, however, dismissed Expo’s reporting, claiming that the investigation aimed to cast doubts about his loyalty. He also described the media coverage as “an inhuman strain on my family.”
After the publicity, Gellerbrant went on parental leave but returned to work shortly after the election. The Sweden Democrats then referred to the Government Offices’ conclusion that there was no reason to reconsider their previous assessment of him.
Dagens Nyheter also reported that according to their sources, signals from the Security Service (Säpo) are that the Expo campaign and its allegations are not new and have not led to any further assessment by the authorities.
Gellerbrant and his lawyer have also reported Expo’s publication to the Media Ombudsman, who examines complaints against media in line with ethical press rules.
Social Democrats Defend the Publication
The Social Democrats defend their attacks, claiming the post was supported by claims made in Expo’s reporting. In a written comment to Expressen, the party’s press service defends the publication and emphasizes that there are still questions that need answers.
The post in question was based on various media reviews of Gellerbrant published in recent years and statements by security experts in the media during the autumn. There are still unanswered questions regarding the circumstances surrounding Gellerbrant and how his case has been handled by SD and Kristersson’s government.
– S’s response
The party further states that it is waiting for the lawsuit to be filed before deciding how to proceed legally.
If found guilty of gross defamation, Gellerbrant demands 20,000 kronor in damages from the Social Democrats. According to his lawyer, however, the process is primarily about obtaining redress for the allegations made against him during the election campaign, not about money.