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De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas

Monday, November 16, 2015

Scandinavia's Defendant-Friendly Criminal Justice Attitudes Extend to Terrorists

By B.D. Mowell 

The rising threat of mass casualty terrorism poses a significant problem for the criminal justice systems of the Scandinavian countries.  Legal traditions favoring defendants, and evolved to serve populations that have historically been socially disciplined and characterized by low rates of violent crime, may not be ideal for safeguarding against terrorism or dispensing justice to those who perpetrate terrorist attacks. 

The Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden have historically been among the least likely in the western world to experience violent crime in any form, including terrorism. However in recent years terrorist acts and concerns related to both domestic and international terrorism have increased. The risk of terrorist activity and the potential sources of such attacks are varied. 

Presently, Denmark is regarded by many experts to be the most likely Scandinavian target of international Islamist groups, stemming largely from the publication and reprinting of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers beginning in 2005.  Radical Islamists also utilized Denmark and neighboring Sweden and Norway as safe havens to covertly finance their activities and to otherwise support their operations via the significant and rapidly growing Muslim émigré populations, elements of which may have been infiltrated by international jihadists or otherwise radicalized.....To Read More.....

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