Pirate Bay co-founder Fredrik Neij has been released from prison today. Neij was the last person to serve a custodial sentence handed down after the Pirate Bay trial, marking the end of a controversial chapter in the site's turbulent history.

Fredrik Neij, one of The Pirate Bay’s co-founders, was a key operator of the torrent site during its early years.

In 2012 Fredrik received a 10-month prison sentence for his involvement with the notorious site, which he initially avoided.

Last November he was eventually arrested by Thai immigration authorities and later transferred to a prison in Skänninge, Sweden.

Today, Fredrik’s jail term ended and a few hours ago he was released from prison. After serving two-thirds of his ten month prison sentence the 37-year-old was reunited with family and friends.

TF spoke with a family member who was kind enough to share some pictures of Fredrik enjoying his newly gained freedom. Based on the pictures below, he is doing quite well.

Fredrik is out, enjoying a beer



For a while it was uncertain whether Fredrik would be released today. The Swedish authorities questioned whether the time he spent in Thai custody should count towards his sentence, but this dispute was eventually resolved.

While Fredrik has been doing relatively well in prison, he clashed with the administration a few times. First, because he wasn’t allowed to print and again after a request to play games on an old Nintendo 8-bit console was denied.

In recent months the Pirate Bay co-founder was also accused of hacking and his continued involvement with The Pirate Bay, but these allegations haven’t been made official.

With his release Fredrik can put prison life behind him and focus on the future again. It is expected that he will return to his new home country of Laos, where he lives with his wife and kids.

Today’s release marks the end of a controversial chapter in The Pirate Bay’s history, as Carl Lundström, Gottfrid Svartholm, Peter Sunde and Fredrik have all served their sentences.

Fredrik enjoying his freedom

