Revised constitution to boost equality

Norway is in the process of revising its constitution (grunnlov) in advance of its bicentennial in 2014. The goal is to strengthen constitutional provisions for human rights, but at least one local politician sees the revision as an opportunity to tackle racism, anti-semitism and discrimination in Norwegian society. Heikki Holmås of the Socialist Left party [...]

Prisons ‘often’ break isolation laws

Norwegian prisons have admitted that they “often” hold prisoners in solitary confinement without permission from the courts. Prisons have been required to seek court approval for such arrangements since 2002, when the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) criticized the widespread use of solitary [...]

Human rights activists disappointed

Human rights activists from around the world have gathered in Oslo this week for a conference that’s partially financed by Norway’s Foreign Ministry. No high-ranking ministry officials turned up for the opening, however, and that disappointed participants and organizers. The Oslo Freedom Forum conference, organized by Human Rights Foundation and conservative think tank Civita, collided [...]

Journalist wins Rafto Prize

This year’s Rafto Prize, seen by many as a prelude to the Nobel Peace Prize, was awarded to journalist and human rights activist Malahat Nasibova. She’s been working for years in a dictatorial province of Azerbaijan to promote human rights and freedom of expression. The Bergen-based Rafto Foundation, which champions human rights, said it awarded [...]

Norway scolds itself in UN report

In an unusual report to the United Nations, the Norwegian government has turned a critical spotlight on itself. It admits, for example, that it has violated human rights, hasn’t achieved equal pay for equal work and hasn’t managed to curb domestic violence. These are just a few of the areas that Norwegian officials highlight as [...]

Norway blasts Burma’s latest move against Nobel Peace Prize winner

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was quick to condemn what he called the Burmese military dictatorship’s latest attempt to keep Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi out of the country’s election next year. The military rulers who are trying to hang on to power in Burma (Myanmar) announced Tuesday that Aung San [...]

Norway scolds Cuban ambassador

Cuba’s ambassador to Norway was being summoned to Norway’s Foreign Ministry this week for the third time, reports newspaper Aftenposten . The reason: The diplomat’s anything-but-diplomatic choice of words in describing a member of the Norwegian parliament as, among other things, an “insect.” Cuban Ambassador Rogerio Santana has also claimed that Jan Tore Sanner, deputy [...]

Uyghurs' anger flares up in Oslo

Two persons were injured and nearly a dozen arrested late Tuesday afternoon, when more than 100 people protesting recent violence against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province vented their anger at the Chinese Embassy. They tried to get past police blockades of the embassy and also tried to attack a local Chinese restaurant. It’s the latest [...]

Chechnyan peace talks in Oslo

Neither the Norwegian nor Russian governments are formally involved, but top representatives for the ruling Chechnyan government and its exiled opposition are in Oslo for talks aimed at reconciliation. The organizer of the meetings calls them “historic.” Newspaper Aftenposten reported Wednesday that Chechnya’s two leading rival factions are negotiating a political solution for the long-troubled [...]

Protesters target Iranian Embassy

Hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the Iranian Embassy in Oslo through the weekend, demanding an end to the violence in Teheran. They also want Norwegian authorities to react with more than words against the Iranian government. The Norwegian government already has summoned Iran’s top diplomatic representative in Norway to the Foreign Ministry, to file an [...]

Norway condemns Peace Prize winner's imprisonment

Norway’s foreign ministry has joined those calling for the immediate release from prison of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese opposition leader was taken from her home in Rangoon by government authorities and transferred from house arrest to the Insein Jail in Rangoon for allegedly receiving an unauthorized visitor. A former [...]