The Oslo County Court has decided that the “especially brutal murder” of Tamima Nibras Juhar last year was motivated by the fact that she was dark-skinned and a Muslim. The young social worker’s killer, an 18-year-old white man, was thus sentenced to 19 years in prison under a special provision called forvaring, that can keep him in custody for life.
The murder last August made Tamima a household name in Norway, and set off public mourning and demonstrations. She’d been working alone at the residential facility where the 18-year-old Djordje Wilms, known for supporting right-wing extremism, was staying in Oslo’s Kampen neighbourhood. In the middle of the night, he stabbed her repeatedly in an attack that shocked even seasoned police investigators.
Wilms, an immigrant himself in Norway, testified during his trial last spring that he admired Nazi Germany and had been inspired by ultra-right-wing terrorists. He had also been violent against his foster parents and made his extremist views well-known.
He later testified that he regretted murderdering his 34-year-old victim, but prosecutors countered that he was simply trying to avoid forvaring, which is meant to keep the public safe from especially dangerous criminals and repeat offenders. It’s the closest thing Norway has to a life sentence.
Prosecutor Cecilie Schløsser Møller had sought a verdict of 21 years in prison with forvaring, which would require that he serve at least two-thirds of that before being eligible for a judge to determine whether he remains dangerous. She told newspaper Aftenposten on Tuesday that “what’s most important for us is that he be sentenced to a forvaring term.”
The court did just that, along with a relatively long prison term by Norwegian standards. The court determined that Wilms’ murder was planned and carried out as planned, with the goal of murdering a dark-skinned and muslim victim. The court found that Wilms had also made a succession of “concrete preparations” for the murder. His relatively young age did not yield any special treatment either, according to the court, which further found reason to believe there was a real risk that he would commit new serious crimes.
Wilms’ defense attorney, Petter Mandt, called the verdict “weak” and “incorrect,” and claimed his client does regret the murder. Mandt also stressed that Wilms had turned 18 just a month before he murdered Muhar, and that should have led to a “rebate” on his prison term. Mandt said he intended to go through the court’s verdict with his client and consider an appeal. Wilms was also ordered to pay NOK 500,000 (USD 50,000) in compensation to Muhar’s mother and her brother.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
