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CRIME

Foreign criminals get tougher sentences

Police and justice officials are deliberately pushing for tougher sentences for foreign criminals in an attempt to convince mainly Eastern European crime gangs of the folly of breaking the law in Norway.

Published: 4 July 2012 16:01 CEST
Foreign criminals get tougher sentences
Photo: Sara Johannessen (File)

Foreign criminals are being punished much more severely than Norwegian nationals found guilty of the same offences, a prosecutor told broadcaster NRK. 

“They are here for a short time, steal a lot, then travel back home,” said prosecutor Henning Klauseie from the Hedmark police district.

In a bid to make Norway seem less attractive, the authorities have decided to clamp down on foreign gangs.

“For example, several judges in Hedmark hand foreigners jail terms of 120 days for shoplifting. That’s a considerably harsher punishment than a Trysil native would get.”

Police often hear from foreigners arrested in Norway that the country is regarded as a candy store by cross-border criminals.

“We can’t have punishments that make foreigners laugh; we have to have punishments that act as a deterrent,” said Klauseie. 

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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.

Published: 15 May 2024 09:18 CEST
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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