[fi358]

In Finland defamation doesn't (always) require falsehood either and I think the same is true in Sweden as well. However, you are much more likely to get a conviction if the statement you made is a lie. And there has to be also the intent to insult or intent to make other people to despise the victim.

And even non-verbal acts can be defamation. For example showing middle finger to somebody can be defamation and I have heard that using gardening hose to make other person wet could also be defamation.

There is also one other crime in the Finnish law that can make it crime to tell true facts called "yksityiselämää loukkaava tiedon levittäminen" (which means basically spreading information in a way that it violates persons privacy). For example writing in a newspaper that "a woman was molested by her father and now has HIV" could lead to a conviction even if all the facts are true, if that woman has not wanted to make this information public and if readers are able to recognize who this woman is.