The Man Who Defended the Utøya Terrorist

What do Norwegians think of the defense lawyer for the worst killer in Norwegian history?

Utøya, an island in the Oslo fjord in Norway, and the site of the worst terrorist attack in European history.

I wanted to write about Norwegian prison and justice system. Oddly, we are a country that has gotten the dubious honor of being known for beautiful fjords, lots of oil money and the world’s most humane prison system. The latter part became famous in large part due to one of the worst terrorists in modern history going on a murder spree in my native Norway on 22 July 2011.

I realized that I could not really begin to write about Norwegian justice system in general before I commented on the Utøya terror. The treatment of the terrorist Anders Behring Breivik sent shockwaves around the world. Not because we were exceptionally cruel towards him, but rather because the Norwegian justice system was unusually humane by international standards.

When you read comments abroad, it quickly becomes apparent that people really don’t understand our mindset in Norway regarding crime and punishment.

Geir Lippestad, the man who defended terrorist Anders Behring Breivik in court.

For instance, I remember a foreigner remarking on what a complete piece of shit the guy who defended…