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Norway charges Wagner deserter after street brawl

Norwegian prosecutors said on Friday that they had charged a man claiming to have deserted Russian mercenary group Wagner who had fled to Norway, after he was arrested following an Oslo street brawl.

Norway charges Wagner deserter after street brawl
File photo: A general view of the Norwegian border crossing station at Storskog. Andrei Medvedev crossed the Russian-Norwegian border on January 13th and sought asylum in Norway. Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP

Twenty six-year-old Andrei Medvedev was detained in the early hours of Wednesday after a fight outside a bar in the Norwegian capital, according to the indictment, seen by AFP.

The exact circumstances of the brawl were not specified but, according to the court documents, Andrei Medvedev, who was drunk at the time, had resisted arrest and then physically attacked police officers once he arrived at the station. His trial has been set for April 25th.

Medvedev claims to have fought in Ukraine as a member of Wagner for four months before deserting in November, when the paramilitary organisation led by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin allegedly extended his contract against his will.

A potentially valuable witness in shedding light on the group’s reported brutality in Ukraine, Medvedev has been questioned by Norwegian authorities since arriving in the country.

In particular, he claims to have knowledge of Wagner’s executions of mercenaries who refused to return to combat and says he has a video showing them.

Since his arrival to Norway, where he has sought asylum, he has been a headache for authorities.

In January, he was briefly arrested for, according to his lawyer, refusing to follow restrictions imposed by police since his arrival in the country.

A few days later, the same lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, withdrew from representing him, without providing an explanation.

Many questions remain about Medvedev’s past and the circumstances of his escape. Some experts have said he could not have crossed the heavily guarded border without assistance.

He claims to have dashed across the frozen Pasvik river that marks part of the Russian-Norwegian border while being chased by attack dogs and Russian border guards, who fired at him.

AFP has not been able to independently confirm his account.

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OSLO

Norwegian prosecutor wants maximum sentence for Oslo Pride shooter

Norway's public prosecutor on Tuesday asked that the maximum penalty of potentially life behind bars be handed down to the alleged perpetrator of the fatal shooting at Oslo's 2022 Pride festival.

Norwegian prosecutor wants maximum sentence for Oslo Pride shooter

Zaniar Matapour, a 44-year-old Norwegian of Iranian origin, has been on trial since mid-March and is accused of an “aggravated act of terror”.

Matapour is accused of opening fire outside two bars in central Oslo, including the gay club London Pub, on the night of June 25th, just hours before the Oslo Pride Parade was to be held.

Two men, aged 54 and 60, were killed and nine others were wounded.

“There is no reason as to why the maximum sentence cannot be used in a case like this,” prosecutor Aud Kinsarvik Gravas said.

The maximum sentence is 30 years but can be extended indefinitely.

“He has shown no remorse or reflection. We have seen no change in him” over the last two years, Kinsarvik Gravas said.

Matapour, who was restrained by passersby after the shooting, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and has never revealed his motives. He pleaded not guilty.

Psychiatric experts have been divided over his mental health, and thereby his legal responsibility, but the public prosecutor deemed him criminally responsible at the time of the events and that he deliberately targeted the gay community.

The sentence sought against him, which includes a minimum of 20 years, would in practice keep him in detention for as long as he is deemed a danger to society.

The alleged mastermind behind the attack, Arfan Bhatti, a 46-year-old Islamist well-known in Norway, was extradited on May 3rd from Pakistan, where he had taken up residence before the shooting.

He will be tried at a later date.

The final part of the trial, due to last until Thursday, will be devoted to the defence case.

A verdict is not expected for several weeks.

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