Norway: Crime journalist threatened

Dagsavisen has reported to the police threats it has received against crime journalist Nina Johnsrud after an article she wrote in the paper.

Johnsrud talked about the Oslo court decision this past Friday in the so called "Torshov murder". The article brought about threats against her, according to Dagsavisen. The newspaper's chief editor Carsten Bleness assumes it was the slant on the case that caused the threats.

Blenss said that the boyfriend of the woman who was murdered was interviewed in the paper and said he was not satisfied with the sentence, and had wanted longer jail time. It wasn't received well by the suspects' community.

John Hongslo (49), the boyfriend, said he doesn't think a sentence of 13 years for a liquidation and 300,000 kroner for an 11 year old who lost his mother makes sense.

Bleness lodged a complaint on Monday evening and says that threats were of such a nature that he expects the Oslo police to investigate the case.

"To attempt to threaten one of journalists into silence I consider as an attack on freedom of the press. We can't tolerate threats that aim to get a journalist to fear reprisals for the work they do," says Bleness.

Nina Johnsrud, an experienced journalist, had been threatened also in July 2006, when somebody fired several shots at her house in Oppegård. One man was suspected, but the case was closed by the police.

Bleness emphasizes that it's important for Dagsavisen to signal the criminals that such threats won't be accepted. He says that additionally the newspaper is responsible for the safety of the journalists.

Source: Aftenposten (Norwegian)

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