Utøya survivor says 7/22 support group not true to ideals of more openess and democracy

Eivind Rindal, a former county secretary of the Nord-Trøndelag chapter of the Labor Youth Organisation (AUF), said to Verdens Gang (VG) that he is tired of the numerous statements made by the 7/22 support group that do not take into account the diversity of opinion that exists among the victims of the 7/22 attacks.

“I cannot stand behind the uncompromising approach of the support group in the media. It is apparently not the policy of the group to represent a nuanced picture of the different opinions that the survivors and next of kin actually have. It [the 7/22 support group] is not true to the ideals we talked about in summer, about more openness and democracy,” Rindal said to VG.

Trond Henry Blattmann, the leader of the 7/22 support group, made strong statements to the Norwegian media last week requesting that the Norwegian press not publish a series of photos by Swedish photographer, Niclas Hammerström, which won a prize in World Press Photo competition.

Rindal reacted to Blattmann’s statments and called him up and asked him to understand that not everyone shares this view. “We have to remember that similar pictures are taken by Norwegian press photographers abroad, and that such pictures win prices year after year. I asked Blattmann if he to a greater extent could take into account that there are different views when making statments such as these, but I did not feel that he was willing to listen.”

Responding to the critique Blattman said to VG: “There are potentially 10,000 members of the support group, and it is completely unthinkable that everyone is in 100% agreement about everything. But we try to be balanced in our view of the media’s use of pictures, leaks and other information, and mostly experience positive feedback on that. Our media strategy is regularly discussed by the board [of the support group].”

Blattmann was formerly leader of the Vest-Agder Labor Party and was political advisor for the Labor coalition government from 2009 to 2011.

Google translation:

Utøya-hero critisizes support group
02/15/12

AUF is Eivind Rindal ask the national support group become more nuanced in their media initiatives.

“I’ve seen me sad in a series of initiatives from the national support group that does not take into account that there are many different views among the survivors and bereaved,” says Rindal….

Original article: Utøya-helt til angrep på støttegruppen
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Related post: Utøya survivor strongly defends freedom of speech, press freedom

Norway’s Attorney General expresses desire to introduce greater press restrictions

Attorney General (Riksadvokat), Tor-Aksel Busch, known for his expressed wish to get rid of the jury system, is of the opinion that lawmakers should consider making it illegal to publish leaked information that someone else has obtained by illegal means, reports Dagbladet. According to Dagbladet, Busch writes this in a letter to The Media Responsibility Commission (Medieansvarsutvalget) which was appointed by the Labor coalition government to come up with proposals for more extensive legal regulations of the media and bloggers.

Dagbladet also reports that Busch is also in agreement with the The Media Responsibility Commission’s view that there should be no legal restrictions on the police investigation of a leak.

Per Edgar Kokkvold, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Press Association, is very critial of the ideas aired by Busch. “It is very unfortunate. Today’s system works well. The consequences will be that people hesitate to go to the press with their information. Protection of sources is, and should be, close to absolute,” Kokkvold said to Dagbladet.

The editor of Nettavisen, Gunnar Stavrum, writes in an opinion piece that the Attorney General is mistaken when he wants to punish the media for publishing leaks and that this would be tantamount to state censorship:

“But today Attorney General Tor-Aksel Busch takes a dangerous step further: we believe one should look closer on whether it should be illegal for the media to redistribute information it has received by others having committed an illegal act of [someone's] duty of confidence, it comes from the State Attorney’s office.

“The proposal from the Attorney General is dangerous, totalitarian and ought to be placed in the drawer immediately.

“The press has a legally-based role of being guard dog. It has laws that protect this role, among others a legally-based protection of sources and a constitutionally founded freedom of expression.

“Even if leaks can be unfortunate, we have long traditions for how it goes when regimes with law in hand can tame the media and decide what should be written in the newpapers.”

Google translation:

Will open to punish the media for leaks
02/15/2012

Public Prosecutor Tor Aksel Busch for all 22 July leaks

Now he opens that the media can be prosecuted for passing on information gained through the other has committed a criminal breach of confidentiality.

In response to Media Legal Committee’s report Busch writes that “it is not necessarily obvious” that the media’s dissemination of information they have gained access to the breach of confidentiality, should be penalty-free….

Original article: Vil åpne for å straffe mediene for lekkasjer
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Google translation:

Source Hunting and press criminal
February 15, 2012

Attorney General Tor-Aksel Busch will punish the media who publish leaks. Is it not easier to impose state censorship first as last…?

Original article: Kildejakt og pressestraff
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Related: Tor-Aksel Busch on Wikipedia (in Norwegian)

Related: Per Edgar Kokkvold on Wikipedia

BBC withdraws request for Breivik interview

Norwegian newspaper, Fædrelandsvennen, reports that the Director of Ila Prison, Knut Bjarkeid, has said that the BBC has withdrawn a request for an interview with Anders Behring Breivik. Bjarkeid says he does not know the reason the request has been withdrawn.

The Norwegian Justice Department blocked an earlier interview request by the BBC without giving any specific reasons why the BBC journalist was not given clearance to enter Ila Prison to conduct the interview, which according to Ila Prison would have been conducted through a glass plate and in the presence of prison security personnel.

One of Breivik’s layers, Odd Ivar Grøn, says that, as he understands it, the BBC reevaluated conducting the interview.

NRK has previosly reported that producer Anne Leer and photographer Edward Watts have been recording material for a BBC documentary since early January and were scheduled to stay in Norway until February 16th.

Google translatation:

BBC will not be interviewing Breivik
15.feb.2012

The British broadcasting BBC switches unambiguously states that it has no desire to interview Breivik.

After several hours of work in order to provide an answer, get a button, but accurate statement from London.

“It was speculative inquiries, but the BBC has no plans to correct a formal request for an interview with Anders Breivik,” writes BBC spokeswoman Helen Deller in response to e-mail….

Original article: BBC trekker søknad om å intervjue Breivik
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Related post: BBC reporter boycotted by Oslo police

Related article: BBC: “One of the most difficult we have done” (BBC: – Noko av det vanskelegaste vi har gjort)

Supreme Court rejects appeal of new psychiatric evaluation

The Norwegian Supreme Court has rejected Anders Behring Breivik’s appeal of the decision by the Oslo District Court (Tingrett) to appoint two new psychiatrists for an unusual, second pychiatric evaluation. According to Verdens Gang (VG), the Supreme Court is of the opinion that the Oslo District Court was entitled to appoint new court psychiatrists before the prosecutors had sumbitted charges against Breivik.

Via his lawyers, Breivik had earlier expressed that he did not want to partake in a second round of psychiatric questioning, and had indicated he was going to refuse to talk to the newly appointed psyhicatrists, Agnar Aspaas and Terje Tørrissen.

Breivik’s lawyer, Geir Lippestad, said to Aftenposten that, following the decision by the Supreme Court, Breivik has now decided that he will be willing to speak to the new psychiatrists on the condition that the conversations are recorded. This was not done during the first psychiatric evaluation, and since he felt the first psychiatrists misinterpreted him, he would like to have the conversations recorded as documentation for the future.

Breivik’s lawyers are now considering whether to appeal another decision by the Oslo District Court from last week that Breivik should be observed against his will during the daytime at Ila Prison for up to four weeks. Lippestad said to Aftenposten that this decision was made on the basis of Breivik refusing to collaborate with the newly appointed psychiatrists, and that situation has now changed. He said to VG that Breivik is ready to partake in interviews right away. Psychiatrist, Terje Tørrissen, said to VG that the new situation has to be discussed with the involved parties in relation to the decicion made by the Oslo District Court last week, and that the outcome of the situation probably will be established in a few days.

Google translation:

Breivik lost in the Supreme Court
02/15/12

Legal dispute has delayed the enforcement of observation

Forced observation of Behring Anders Breivik (33) will probably start soon after the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal on Wednesday afternoon.

Clarification in the Supreme Court means that the court psychiatrists Terje Tørrissen and Agnar Aspaas can start observation of Breivik in Ila prison. The process was put on hold pending the decision….

Later in the evening it became clear that Breivik does full conversion and agree to talk to Tørrissen and Aspaas….

Original article: Breivik tapte i Høyesterett
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Google translation:

Breivik will still talk to the right psychiatrists
02/15/12

Requires that there be recordings of the talks this time

Persons charged with terrorist Behring Anders Breivik (33) has changed the perception and now say yes to a new assessment of his mental condition.

The turnaround comes after the Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon dismissed the appeal Breivik procedural errors.

The defenders had a conversation with Breivik in Ila prison later in the evening and the result was the mass murderer now agree to meet the new legal psychiatrists Terje Tørrissen and Agnar Aspaas….

Breivik believes he is sane and has claimed that the majority of the calls, which Husby and Sørheim renders the report are fictional.

“He has always said that there are errors in the initial report. He said 80 percent of the conversations have not occurred. Therefore, he wants to talk to the new experts under one condition: that everything is recorded,” said Lippestad….

Original article: Breivik vil likevel snakke med rettspsykiaterne
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Google translation:

Supreme Court rejects appeal Breivik
02/15/2012

Person charged with terrorism Anders Behring Breivik (33) must therefore be through a new round of forensic psychiatric evaluations.

Person charged with terrorism Behring Anders Breivik’s defenders are not successful in his appeal to the Supreme Court on the appointment of two new psychiatric experts.

“Supreme Court appeal committee found it unanimously clear that the wording and terminology in the Criminal Procedure Act section 139 subsection gives the court authority to decide on the appointment of new experts when it finds it ‘necessary’,” according to a summary of the ruling of the Supreme Court’s Appeals Committee….

Original article: Høyesterett avviser Breiviks anke
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Google translation:

Behring Breivik want to collaborate with the experts
15.feb.2012

But the terror suspect has set as policy that the conversations recorded on tape.

Anders Breivik Behring will work with the new expert, said his defense Geir Lippestad to Aftenposten.no

Today it became clear that the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against the appointment of two new experts.

“We worked on the basis of the possibility that the appeal would be rejected or accepted, and prepared our client on both. Now that it’s clear that he must deal with new experts, he decided that he wants to cooperate,” says Lippestad….

Original article: Behring Breivik ønsker å samarbeid med de sakkyndige
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Related post: Court orders new psychiatric evaluation of Breivik