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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Norway’s traumatic moment of truth

NEWS ANALYSIS: After describing himself as a self-appointed executionist on Thursday, Anders Behring Breivik was back on the witness stand in Oslo on Friday to answer more questions about his attacks of July 22. As survivors and families of victims braced for more gruesome details, questions keep arising about why it’s necessary, as one survivor put it, “to rip open old sores again.”

Breivik’s testimony has been described as “shocking” even by the most jaded legal experts and courtroom commentators. Breivik himself was alternately described by attorneys following the case, not least those representing survivors and victims, as “evil” and “dangerous.”

He has remained mostly cool, calm and collected throughout the first week of his 10-week trial, even though there were signs of defiance and irritation on Wednesday. That gave way to cooperation and self-confidence on Thursday as he willingly described how he planned his attacks, how he trained for them and how he carried them out. He smiled and denied he was a child murderer, while parents of his victims as young as 14 shook their heads in disbelief.

Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) aired live coverage of Breivik's trial once again on Friday morning, until the judge ordered filming to end when proceedings began. No video or audio recording of Breivik's testimony is allowed, under a Supreme Court ruling. Breivik altered his dress on Friday for what was expected to be his most gruesome testimony yet, opting to wear a black suit with black shirt and light tie as he answered questions about the 69 murders he committed on the island of Utøya last July. At right is one of his defense attorneys, Vibeke Hein Bæra. PHOTO: NRK screen grab/Views and News

So why is it necessary to put them and the rest of the nation for that matter through more trauma of the trial itself? There is no question about Breivik’s guilt. Not only has he admitted to the attacks, he’s said he would strike again if given a chance. Why give him such a platform to describe what he did in all its chilling detail, and spread the right-wing extremist ideology that he claims motivated his attacks?

Because Norwegian authorities are bound and determined to accord Breivik the same local brand of justice as any other criminal defendant in the country. The trial itself seems to be both an expression of Norwegian civility and a form of national catharsis, however painful that might be.

“It’s important to remember that this is a court case, this is his trial,” one of his defense attorneys, Vibeke Hein Bæra, told reporters at a press conference after the trial’s fourth, difficult day. She and her colleagues conceded it had been a very tough day indeed, but stressed that Breivik must, under Norwegian law, be allowed to explain and defend his deeds, and face his judgment day in accordance with that law.

His lead attorney, Geir Lippestad, has repeatedly acknowledged that his client has a sense of reality that few can understand. “He has a strong desire to explain himself,” Lippestad said, noting that neither he nor others can muzzle him. The prosecution also notes that while it’s difficult to listen to Breivik all but brag about his attacks, they have a legal responsibility to gather facts and hear his testimony along with that of anyone else who can shed light on how and why the events of July 22 could occur.

International reaction
Foreign journalists descended on Oslo to cover the trial of the young Norwegian who’s been branded as the worst single mass murderer in human history. The trial has received widespread international coverage and judging from online comments on the case, many persons outside Norway are surprised, even disgusted,that Breivik has been treated with such civility and respect in the courtroom. Some were shocked that all members of the prosecution, and not least the court-appointed psychiatrists who must evaluate Breivik’s mental state, shook hands with Breivik on the trial’s opening day.

That’s simply the custom in Norway, along with relatively prison terms and an emphasis on criminal rehabilitation, as opposed to pure punishment. That’s under some pressure now, but it’s worth noting that even during some of Breivik’s most horrific testimony about his “executions,” there were no emotional outbursts among Norwegians in the courtroom. There were some tears and lots of head-shaking, and some survivors and parents of murdered teenagers have left the courtroom on occasion, but there’s been no screaming or verbal attacks on Breivik. Breivik reportedly has received some death threats in prison, but attorneys in the case actually commented Thursday evening that they’re impressed over how the public has behaved during throughout his trial so far. Roses have even been placed in security fences around the Oslo courthouse and elsewhere around town. Psychologists and medical personnel are nonetheless standing by in the Oslo courthouse and others nationwide where proceedings are being shown via video link, should a need for them arise.

Critical mental health evaluation
The only issue for the judges in the case to decide in Brevik’s case is his sentence, and that will be based on a final evaluation of his mental health in June, when the trial finally ends. His performance in court this week has led several legal and psychiatric experts to suggest he’s sane, not insane, given his personal conduct, insight into his meticulous planning and his explanations for his crimes. One local professor and expert on terrorism called him “calm, cold-blooded, calculating, a classic terrorist … with clear political goals.” Attorney Mette Yvonne Larsen, representing dozens of survivors and victims’ families, called him “a very dangerous man” while still others believe he simply craves attention and is getting too much of it.

That may be true, but it’s part of the legal system in Norway and arguably less of a media circus than that surrounding other celebrated court cases in the US, for example. As defense attorney Bæra stressed, “this is a court case,” with all that entails. It will run until June 22, with a verdict due by July 20.

EDITOR’S NOTE: One of Breivik’s targets who survived his bullets made an interesting observation earlier this week, when she said she was ignoring his trial because he had “taken up too much of her time already.” Others feel the media is giving Breivik and his terrorist attacks far too much attention. That’s understandable, but most of us in the media have felt an obligation to cover the trial around Norway’s greatest national trauma since World War II as best we can. Our resources at this website are limited, so I confess that my attempts at coverage have come at the expense of other news from Norway as the trial got underway this week. Newsinenglish.no will continue to follow court proceedings as news from them emerges, but life goes on in Norway and we’ll now aim to revert to paying more attention to the views and news that “normal” Norwegian life generates as well.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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