Capital punishment in Norway
Encyclopedia
Capital punishment in Norway was abolished in peacetime with the criminal law that was passed in 1902 with enforcement beginning in 1905. Capital punishment was also abolished in times of war in 1979.
The last execution in peacetime was carried out on 25 February 1876, when Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen
was beheaded in Løten
.
ing of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, 300 people were burned
in Norway. About 100 of those were from the Vardø
area. Women in the north were at particular risk due to the clergy and authorities believing that the devil resided at the edge of the World.
The Norwegian Code of Christian V
from 1687 described several capital crimes and in some cases coupled torture
with the executions.
or shooting were the remaining authorized methods. Capital crimes were for premeditated or otherwise heinous murder
s as well as treason
.
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
, capital punishment was introduced by Vidkun Quisling
's regime in September 1942, and the first of a total of nineteen executions was carried out on 16 August 1943, when Gunnar Eilifsen was executed for disobedience. Before this, the law of Germany had applied, and four hundred Norwegians had already been executed. In 1941, the Cabinet Nygaardsvold
exiled in London
allowed for the death penalty after the war, and expanded its scope in 1942 to cover torture and murder. The legal purge in Norway after World War II
resulted in several death sentences, of which 37 people, 25 Norwegians and 12 Germans, were executed. The last execution took place on 27 August 1948, when Ragnar Skancke
was put before a firing squad at Akershus Fortress
.
which bans the use of capital punishment in peacetime. Norway generally opposes capital punishment outside of the country as well. The government has banished Mullah Krekar
from Norway, but has not sent him to Iraq
due to the possibility of him being charged with capital crimes in his home county. In the Martine Vik Magnussen case
, Norway has declined to cooperate with the Yemen
ese government unless a guarantee is made that the death penalty is off the table.
(FrP) voters where the support is at 51%. Although FrP politicians like Ulf Erik Knudsen
and Jan Blomseth have expressed support for the death penalty for egregious cases of rape and murder, the FrP policy is opposed to the death penalty. An opinion poll taken after the 2011 Norway attacks
showed that the opposition to the death penalty remained firmly entrenched, with 16% supporting and 68% opposed.
The last execution in peacetime was carried out on 25 February 1876, when Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen
Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen
Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen was a Norwegian criminal and killer thief. He was born at the crofter's farm Nordre Svartbækken in Elverum, and spent 41 years of his life in prisons...
was beheaded in Løten
Løten
Løten is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Løten. The parish of Løiten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:The municipality is named after an old farm...
.
Early use
In addition to the usual capital crimes of murder and treason, pre-modern Norwegian law also demanded execution of those found guilty of witchcraft. During the witch-huntWitch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
ing of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, 300 people were burned
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
in Norway. About 100 of those were from the Vardø
Vardø
is a town and a municipality in Finnmark county in the extreme northeast part of Norway.Vardø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The law required that all cities should be separated from their rural districts, but because of a low population and very few voters, this was...
area. Women in the north were at particular risk due to the clergy and authorities believing that the devil resided at the edge of the World.
The Norwegian Code of Christian V
Christian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
from 1687 described several capital crimes and in some cases coupled torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
with the executions.
Modern use
By 1815 the cruelest forms of executions were abolished, and decapitationDecapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
or shooting were the remaining authorized methods. Capital crimes were for premeditated or otherwise heinous murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s as well as treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, capital punishment was introduced by Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
's regime in September 1942, and the first of a total of nineteen executions was carried out on 16 August 1943, when Gunnar Eilifsen was executed for disobedience. Before this, the law of Germany had applied, and four hundred Norwegians had already been executed. In 1941, the Cabinet Nygaardsvold
Cabinet Nygaardsvold
Nygaardsvold's Cabinet was appointed on 20 March 1935, the second Labour cabinet in Norway. It closed the brought to an end the non-socialist, minority Governments that had been dominating politics since the introduction of the parliamentary system in 1884, and replaced it with stable, Labour...
exiled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
allowed for the death penalty after the war, and expanded its scope in 1942 to cover torture and murder. The legal purge in Norway after World War II
Legal purge in Norway after World War II
When the occupation of Norway ended in May 1945, several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for various acts that the occupying powers sanctioned...
resulted in several death sentences, of which 37 people, 25 Norwegians and 12 Germans, were executed. The last execution took place on 27 August 1948, when Ragnar Skancke
Ragnar Skancke
Ragnar Sigvald Skancke was the Norwegian Minister of Labour and Minister for Church and Educational Affairs in Vidkun Quisling's government of the Nasjonal Samling party during World War II.Before the war, Skancke was a highly respected professor of electrical engineering at the Norwegian...
was put before a firing squad at Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
.
European Convention on Human Rights
In 1988 Norway signed on to protocol 6 of the European Convention on Human RightsEuropean Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
which bans the use of capital punishment in peacetime. Norway generally opposes capital punishment outside of the country as well. The government has banished Mullah Krekar
Mullah Krekar
Mullah Krekar , is a Kurdish Sunni Islamist terrorist who came to Norway as a refugee from northern Iraq in 1991. His wife and four children have Norwegian citizenship, but not Krekar himself. He speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Norwegian and English...
from Norway, but has not sent him to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
due to the possibility of him being charged with capital crimes in his home county. In the Martine Vik Magnussen case
Murder of Martine Vik Magnussen
The Martine Vik Magnussen case involves the rape and murder of a 23-year-old Norwegian female business student, Martine Vik Magnussen. She was found in the basement of an apartment block, hidden under rubble, in a block of flats in Great Portland Street, London on 16 March 2008...
, Norway has declined to cooperate with the Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
ese government unless a guarantee is made that the death penalty is off the table.
Public opinion
Opinion polls have showed that about 1 in 4 Norwegians support the death penalty, with the highest support among Progress PartyProgress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
(FrP) voters where the support is at 51%. Although FrP politicians like Ulf Erik Knudsen
Ulf Erik Knudsen
Ulf Erik Knudsen is a Norwegian politician representing the Progress Party. He has been a Member of Parliament from Buskerud since 1997.-Political views:...
and Jan Blomseth have expressed support for the death penalty for egregious cases of rape and murder, the FrP policy is opposed to the death penalty. An opinion poll taken after the 2011 Norway attacks
2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011....
showed that the opposition to the death penalty remained firmly entrenched, with 16% supporting and 68% opposed.