Swedish court rules against translator of Japanese manga cartoons

[Eudemon]

Stockholm - A Swedish appeals court Friday ruled that a translator of Japanese cartoons had violated a ban against possession of child pornography, upholding a previous conviction.

The 37-year-old translator - regarded as an expert on mangas as the genre is known - had appealed a district court ruling from June that his collection, included images that violated a 1999 law.

The law that bans possession or production of child pornography covers all images, including drawings, the appeals court said. It added that cartoons and sketches could also be offensive for children.

The law was tightened last year making it an offence to view child pornographic images for instance on the internet.

However, the court lowered the fines issued by the Uppsala district court, north of Stockholm, from 25,000 kronor (3,800 dollars) to 5,600 kronor.

In all 39 of the 51 images reviewed were deemed to violate the law, the appeals court said.

The case has generated debate on social media sites and among fans of the Japanese cartoon-style who argued that freedom of speech protected the man's right to keep the images.

Source:M&C