Court psychiatrist, Torgeir Husby, fell ill in court and is hospitalized

Verdens Gang (VG) reported Tuesday evening that court psychiatrist, Torgeir Husby, one of the original court-appointed psychiatrists to examine Anders Behring Breivik, fell ill in court on Monday and was brought to hospital in an ambulance. According to VG, Husby was still hospitalized for observation.

Husby was working as a court-appointed psychiatrist in a murder trial in Oslo District Court (Tingrett) which was being held at the same time and in the same building as the Breivik court proceeding. VG writes that Husby began sweating profusely on his forehead for about half an hour until he vomitted inside the court room. An ambulance was called for at 1:55 p.m.

The court proceeding against Breivik, which Husby was not attending, began at 12:35 p.m. In court, Breivik made a short statement explaining the political reasons for his attacks on 7/22. He also stated that he is working on a newspaper opinion about the psychiatric report. “I am working on a newspaper opinion about the court appointed psychiatric report, which is completely ridiculous and which probably everyone in Norway realizes,” Breivik said.

The initial psychiatric report, written by Torgeir Husby and Synne Sørheim, has been widely critizied by other professional psychiatrists. Several psychiatrists that attended Monday’s court hearing stated to the media afterwards that, in their view, Breivik displayed no signs of schizophrenia or psychosis.

Google translation:

Breivik-psychiatrist became unwell in the courtroom
07/02/12

Was driven away in an ambulance

While the prosecutor read out the gruesome details of the party to call murder case, he suddenly experienced right psychiatrist Torgeir Husby unwell….

Husby had the last half hour before the sudden illness took place, sweating heavily from the forehead, and had to figure out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat.

It was during the review of the forensic psychiatric statement that Husby suddenly became ill.

While the prosecutor Nina Harboe Jensen Søndersrød read out the details that the accused had explained to the psychiatric expert examination by a 4 March 2011, suddenly Husby vomitted in a plastic folder he had on his desk….

Original article: Breivik-psykiater fikk illebefinnende i rettssalen
_____

Related article: Court Psychiatrist about Breivik: “No psychosis” (Rettspsykiater om Breivik: – Ingen psykose)

Related post: Court-appointed psychiatrists did not document Breivik interviews with voice or video recording

Related post: Breivik’s statement in court February 6, 2012

Court-appointed psychiatrists did not document Breivik interviews with voice or video recording

None of the 36 hours of interviews of Anders Behring Breivik which were carried out by court-appointed psychiatrists, Torgeir Husby and Synne Sørheim, were documented by voice or video recordings. Only handwritten notes exist, writes the Norwegian newpaper, Dagsavisen. This means that the newly appointed court psychiatrists will not have access to objective, verifiable documentation of what was said between the original psychiatrists, Husby and Sørheim, and Breivik.

Breivik has, through his lawyers, stated that 80% of the conversations in the psychiatric report did not take place as described by the two psychiatrists. Breivik is of the opinion that much of what he said was twisted and misrepresented by the psychiatrists.

In the court hearing on Monday, Breivik announced that he is working on an opinion piece about the psychiatric report for publication in a newspaper. “I am working on a newspaper opinion about the court-appointed psychiatric report, which is completely ridiculous and which probably everyone in Norway realizes,” said Breivik before being interruped by the judge.

The psychiatric report concluded that Breivik’s concerns about surveillance by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) before the 7/22 attacks shows that he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and that his political ideas are the result of psychosis. The report, which has been leaked to the press, has been widely criticized by professional psychiatrists and political commentators for its failure to consider alternative diagnoses and for the lack of discussion of Breivik’s political ideas.

As a result of the controversy surrounding the report, the Oslo District Court (Tingrett) made the extraordinary decision to appoint two new psychiatric experts, Agnar Aspaas and Terje Tørrissen. Breivik has stated that he does not wish to partake in another round of questioning, and has appealed the appointment to the Supreme Court.

Professor in clinical psychology, Siri Erika Gullestad, said to Dagsavisen that it is unfortunate that there are poor scientific traditions in Norwegian court psychiatry, and that the thirteen conversations should have been recorded. “I think it is unfortunate that others can not go in and observe what the primary observers have done. This is a requirement in research,” Gullestad says.

Google translation:

Impossible to verify psychiatrists
02/08/12

Undocumented: None of the 36 hours Anders Breivik Behring has spoken with the right psychiatrists Synne Sørheim and Torgeir Husby recorded on tape or video. Psychiatrists took just notes.

This means that it is not possible to verify what actually Breivik told psychiatrists. It is not possible to see or hear how the talks progress.

“This is unfortunate and should be amended so that premises can be verified by the parties and the court. In 2012, one must expect more notoriety and shooting – not handwritten notes,” said lawyer John Christian Elden to the Times.

His office represents 170 victims of the terror that struck Norway 22 last July.

“Lack of verifiable evidence weakens the rule of law. Audio and video recording provide community insight and opportunity for control. It has far greater value than an inaccurate representation and interpretation of a written statement,” said Elden.

He said a 36-hour video recording of the 13 calls would have been of great value to the new psychiatrists, Agnar Aspaas and Terje Tørrissen. Not least because Breivik refuses to talk to them – and because he claims that 80 percent of the expert report is ridiculous fiction from Sørheim and Husby side.

It can now justify Breivik announced in his article, in the knowledge that the content of the conversations he had with the psychiatrists were not documented with audio and video….

Original article: Umulig å etterprøve psykiaterne
_____

Google translation:

Breivik demanding the release
02/06/2012

OSLO: Anders Breivik Behring demanded to be released and called expert report for the ridiculous.

… “May I make a comment,” breaks in Behring Breivik.

It allows the judge.

“I keep on working on a feature article on the expert report, which is absolutely ridiculous and it certainly realize all of Norway,” Breivik said before he is interrupted by the judge.

“I come back to this at a later date,” says Breivik….

Original article: Breivik krevde løslatelse
_____

Related post: Court orders new psychiatric evaluation of Breivik

Related post: Breivik’s statement in court February 6, 2012

Related post: Court psychiatrist, Torgeir Husby, fell ill in court and is hospitalized

Utøya survivor strongly defends freedom of speech, press freedom

In an opinion piece in Aftenposten, Utøya survivor, Bjørn Ihler, delivers a strong defense of freedom of speech and press freedom, and argues that the 7/22 victim support group promotes a form of censorship that is not supported by all the victims of the 7/22 attacks.

Ihler criticizes the support group for frequently going to the media and requesting that the press not write about leaked material from the police investigation. Ihler says than rather than to criticize the press for doing its job, critique of leaked information from the police investigation should be directed towards those responsible for the leaks.

“The mandate of the support group is to support those affected by the events on 7/22. To censor the media is, as I see it, not within this [mandate]. Believe me, I know how it feels to have to face the front pages of the newspapers, I was actually there too. But for me the interests of society stands before my own. The society needs more openness. Particulary in a case like this, where not just we who are directly involved, but society as a whole was under attack,” Ihler writes.

Ihler, who himself studies and works with theater, also reacts that spokespersons for survivors are against the performance of a play in Denmark based on Breivik’s manifest. In Ihler’s opinion, art should be free, and it is misguided to attempt to prevent the theater to perform what they wish. Ihler says that the theater wishes to point to the madness in the manifest in order to prevent something similar from happening again.

According to Ihler, those directly affected by 7/22 and the nation as a whole are at fork in the road, and many are already heading in the wrong direction, away from democracy and openess. Ihler writes that if one truly wants more openness and democracy, one has to embrace these values fully. If one, on the other hand, wishes to censor the media, theater and the arts, one should say so.

Ihler writes that, even if he were to leave the 7/22 support group, the public would probably still perceive someone speaking on behalf of the group as representating all of the victims. So at the very least, it should be made clear that not everyone affected by 7/22 shares the same views, he says.

The leader of the 7/22 support group, Trond Henry Blattmann, was formerly leader of the Vest-Agder Labor Party and was political advisor for the Labor coalition government from 2009 to 2011.

“It is completely impossible for all members to be in agreement, the world is not so simple. The support group does not wish to be closed, but we have clear views about what we think about the publication of leaks and photos,” said Blattmann in response to Ihler in an interview with Aftenposten.

Google translation:

My frustration

If you wish, as others apparently want to censor the media, theaters and art, you could say that. But they can not put it on my behalf….

Original article: Min frustrasjon
_____

Google translation:

“We disagree with the filming in court”

Trond Blatt Mann believes the boundaries being pushed on all the time. The head of the national support group does not agree with Bjorn Ihler that group stands for closed….

Original article: - Vi er uenige i filmingen i retten
_____

Related post: Leader of 7/22 support group negative to Breivik interview

Related post: Justice Department considers law change that will make Breivik book illegal