Claes Borgström
Encyclopedia
Claes Gustaf Borgström is a Swedish lawyer
and Social Democratic
politician
.
from Stockholm University
in 1974. Thereafter he started to work as a lawyer. He has worked on several high-profile criminal cases, most notably as a defence counsel for convicted mass murderer Thomas Quick
. As Thomas Quick's attorney, it was questioned whether he had neglected to protect his mentally disturbed client's objective interests in being judged not guilty.
Between 2000 and 2007, Borgström was appointed by the Swedish government
as the Equality Ombudsman
(JämO).
In 2007 he quit to start a law firm
with former Social Democratic Minister for Justice
Thomas Bodström
as partner.
Since 2008 he is also the Swedish Social Democratic Party's spokesperson on gender equality
issues.
Borgström has often attracted attention with a series of controversial proposals and moves. He claims that all men carry a collective guilt for violence against women, and has in this context supported Gudrun Schyman
's "Tax on Men".
He also attracted attention in March 2006 when he demanded that Sweden boycott the 2006 World Cup in Germany "in protest against the increase in the trafficking in women that the event is expected to result in".
In 2010 Borgström successfully appealed the decision to close the sexual assault case against WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange, and became the legal representative for the two Swedish women.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and Social Democratic
Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Education and career
Borgström earned a law degreeLaw degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
in 1974. Thereafter he started to work as a lawyer. He has worked on several high-profile criminal cases, most notably as a defence counsel for convicted mass murderer Thomas Quick
Thomas Quick
Thomas Quick is a convicted Swedish serial killer who has confessed to more than 30 murders, although he has only eight convictions, two of which have been overturned...
. As Thomas Quick's attorney, it was questioned whether he had neglected to protect his mentally disturbed client's objective interests in being judged not guilty.
Between 2000 and 2007, Borgström was appointed by the Swedish government
Government of Sweden
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
as the Equality Ombudsman
Equality Ombudsman
The Equality Ombudsman was a Swedish government agency formed in 1980, that worked with and supervised the laws relating to gender equality...
(JämO).
In 2007 he quit to start a law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
with former Social Democratic Minister for Justice
Minister for Justice (Sweden)
The Minister for Justice is the justice minister of Sweden and head of the Ministry of Justice. The current Minister for Justice is Beatrice Ask of the Moderate Party....
Thomas Bodström
Thomas Bodström
Thomas Lennart Bodström is a Swedish politician and member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He was the Swedish Minister for Justice in the two last succeeding governments of the Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, from 2000 to 2006. Since October 2006 until October 2010 he was the chairman...
as partner.
Since 2008 he is also the Swedish Social Democratic Party's spokesperson on gender equality
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
issues.
Borgström has often attracted attention with a series of controversial proposals and moves. He claims that all men carry a collective guilt for violence against women, and has in this context supported Gudrun Schyman
Gudrun Schyman
Gudrun Schyman is a Swedish politician. She served as leader of the Swedish Left Party from 1993 until January 2003. She remained a member of the Left Party until 2004, when she left to focus entirely on her feminist political work...
's "Tax on Men".
He also attracted attention in March 2006 when he demanded that Sweden boycott the 2006 World Cup in Germany "in protest against the increase in the trafficking in women that the event is expected to result in".
In 2010 Borgström successfully appealed the decision to close the sexual assault case against WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
founder Julian Assange, and became the legal representative for the two Swedish women.