Thursday, October 30, 2025
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Thursday, October 30, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/norwegian-princess-husband-accused-of-sexual-assault/

The Nordics

Norwegian princess’ husband accused of sexual assault

Published November 2, 2024 – By Editorial
Durek Verrett and Märtha Louise married earlier this year - despite strong public opposition.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A Swedish man has reported Princess Märtha Louise's husband, shaman Durek Verrett, to the police for sexual abuse.

– I asked him to stop but he didn't give in, the man says.

The incident allegedly took place during one of the shaman's "treatment sessions" in the 2010s. The complainant says he chose to take the matter to court in the hope that "others who have been sexually abused will also dare to come forward, regardless of who the perpetrator is", according to the Norwegian magazine Se & Hør.

– He seemed absolutely determined to persuade me to have sex, the Swede continues.

Verrett's spokesperson claims the allegations are false and has reported the Norwegian newspaper to the police and to the Norwegian Board of Media Ethics.

“Since his work involves various healing methods, including touch, Durek has a legal document in place that must be signed by everyone who uses his services, to protect themselves against people with evil intentions”, it states, further claiming that the complainant is one of the shaman's former employees who was fired and therefore wants revenge.

Deeply unpopular couple

Durek Verrett, who has been widely described as a sun-and-weather man and charlatan, married Märtha Louise earlier this year – something the Norwegian people viewed with great disapproval, and according to surveys conducted shortly after the wedding, almost seven out of ten Norwegians want Märtha Louise to be stripped of her princess title.

Many believe that Verrett, who has claimed that children get cancer because they "want" it and that spirits cause sexually transmitted diseases, is not a suitable husband for a Norwegian princess. The couple has also been heavily criticized for using their connection to the royal family to make money, promote commercial products and gain media attention.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-government-moves-forward-with-plans-for-a-swedish-cia/

Sweden

Swedish government moves forward with plans for a “Swedish CIA”

Published yesterday 3:55 pm – By Editorial
Critical voices compare the new agency with the American CIA.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish government is moving forward with plans for a new civilian intelligence service directly under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The idea is that the agency will strengthen Sweden's analytical capacity regarding events and alleged threats abroad and complement the military intelligence service.

A special investigator, Annika Brändström, has been appointed to prepare the establishment of the new intelligence service, which according to the government's press release is to be operational on January 1, 2027.

The proposal is based on an investigation led by former Swedish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who proposed that parts of the military intelligence service should be transferred to a civilian agency under the government.

– It will be an independent agency that, among other things, handles collection through technical means and with open information, and will be under the government like all other agencies, said Bildt at a press conference together with Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, earlier this summer.

According to the press release, the new agency will meet the Government Offices' intelligence needs and work closely with the Swedish Armed Forces, FRA (the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment), the Swedish Security Service, and other relevant actors within the total defense.

"Broader security threats"

Today, much of the intelligence operations are handled by the Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen) and the military intelligence service Must, which provide the defense forces and government with analyses.

According to Carl Bildt, this system has shown shortcomings, including in the assessments before the war in Ukraine escalated in 2022.

– We have seen a broader security threat against Sweden, just take cyber threats, terrorist threats, technology threats, investment controls and hostile state actors using different methods. We have not had quite as much control over things in our immediate area, which lie outside the immediate military sphere, as we should have had, he claimed in connection with the summer press conference.

"Swedish CIA" or British model?

Critics have compared the new intelligence agency to the notorious American intelligence service CIA.

– Well, it's difficult to make that comparison. It's more a larger version of what the British have with their Joint Intelligence Organisation. An independent agency that is collecting to some extent, but primarily analyzing, said Bildt.

Sweden's former prime minister emphasizes that the international community will perceive the agency as a significant increase in ambition.

– We have tripled resources over the past 15 years, there has been a continued expansion of this activity. It is an organization that is then a bit more similar to what most other countries already have.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/swedish-gang-crime-spreads-throughout-norway/

The Nordics

“Swedish” gang crime spreads throughout Norway

organized crime

Published yesterday 11:02 am – By Editorial
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre views combating gang crime as a top priority and wants to stop the development before Norway ends up in the same situation as Sweden.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The same gang crime that has long plagued Sweden has now reached all Norwegian police districts. This was stated by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during the Nordic Council session in Stockholm, Sweden, where he called for deeper cooperation between the Nordic countries to combat the crime.

During the Nordic summit in connection with the ongoing Nordic Council session in Stockholm, the Nordic prime ministers gathered together with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Crime was high on the agenda, particularly given that gang conflicts in Sweden have increasingly spread to neighboring countries in recent years.

Especially in Norway, Swedish criminal networks have expanded their operations, and Jonas Gahr Støre noted that traces of "Swedish" gang crime can now be found in all Norwegian police districts, which according to him underscores the cross-border nature of the problem.

— It is a less extensive problem in Norway than in Sweden, but for me it is a top priority to combat this, said the Norwegian prime minister.

Deeply concerned about Sweden's development

Gahr Støre welcomed that gang crime is now being discussed at the prime ministerial level, but simultaneously called for further intensification of cooperation. He wants the issue to be raised at upcoming meetings between the Nordic heads of government as well.

— What we see is that when such crime is allowed to develop, it becomes a very difficult task to push it back, warned the Norwegian leader, and continued:

— We have followed this societal problem that Sweden has had in recent years with deep concern.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed understanding that the other Nordic countries want to avoid at all costs having Sweden's gang crime establish itself on their territories.

— Gang criminals respect no borders at all. We know that better than anyone since we are now physically apprehending them in completely different countries far away. They do not respect the Nordic borders and they abuse the openness that exists in the Nordic region. Our ambition is not to export gang criminals to Norway but to lock them up in Swedish prisons, he claimed.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-government-seeks-mandatory-deportation-for-prison-sentences/

Sweden

Swedish government seeks mandatory deportation for prison sentences

Migration crisis in Europe

Published yesterday 8:23 am – By Editorial
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Moderate Party-led Swedish government is close to introducing a law that would force prosecutors to demand deportation when foreign nationals are sentenced to prison. The penalty threshold will be lowered from six months, which is expected to dramatically increase the number of deportations in coming years.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell (Moderate Party) confirms that the government will soon submit the legislative proposal making it mandatory to demand deportation for persons sentenced to prison. The reform could increase the number of deportations sixfold in the first years.

The announcement comes after international criticism that a man who raped the then 16-year-old Meya in Skellefteå, northern Sweden, last year was not deported.

— I was very moved when I read about this case, both as a minister but above all as a parent, Forssell tells state-funded broadcaster Radio Sweden.

He emphasizes that the system is failing:

— Crime victims should receive justice and the system should be fair, but there is a systemic flaw here. I want to be honest in saying that this systemic flaw means that it is rather the perpetrators' well-being that is taken into account.

— People are still allowed to remain in Sweden despite having committed very serious crimes, for example rape, and I find that offensive, the minister adds.

"Toughest regulations in the Nordic region"

The upcoming legislation is based on an inquiry that the government received in May. The proposal means that prosecutors must demand deportation for prison sentences, and courts must decide on deportation when the conditions are met.

The penalty threshold will be lowered from six months to all prison sentences, meaning that even crimes such as assault and fraud could lead to deportation. According to the inquiry, the number of deportations could increase by 500–600 percent during the first years.

— Sweden will thus have the toughest regulations in the entire Nordic region, Forssell claims, adding that the government also wants to review the EU rules that make deportations more difficult.

— I hope that we will be successful there, but it is a more complicated process than Swedish legislation, which we control ourselves.

Lack of credibility

Although many agree that immigrant criminals should be deportable, critics question the migration minister's credibility and ask how many deportations will actually be carried out.

During the Moderate Party's previous period in government under Fredrik Reinfeldt (Swedish Prime Minister 2006-2014), Sweden's already generous mass immigration was expanded, which according to critics has led to many of the people who may now be deported, or their parents, being granted entry to Sweden in the first place.

Despite the sudden shift in rhetoric, many believe it is highly unlikely that extensive deportation programs will be implemented under a Moderate Party-led government.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/youth-prisons-for-13-year-olds-to-open-this-summer-in-sweden/

Sweden

Youth prisons for 13-year-olds to open this summer in Sweden

organized crime

Published October 28, 2025 – By Editorial
The number of young people convicted of serious crimes has increased dramatically in recent years.
3 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish government has tasked the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) with preparing special youth prisons for 13- and 14-year-olds who commit serious crimes.

The purpose is to adapt the sentence execution to the child's age and to separate younger offenders from older youth, with the prison units set to be ready by summer.

The Swedish Prison and Probation Service has previously been tasked with preparing youth prisons for 15–17-year-olds convicted of serious crimes. Now the assignment is being expanded to also include criminals aged 13 and 14, in connection with the government's proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility for serious crimes.

In August 2023, the government received the report A review of regulations on custodial sentences for young people, which proposes that secure youth care be replaced with imprisonment in special youth units at existing facilities.

– Lowering the age of criminal responsibility for the most serious crimes is needed for several reasons. It is important to strengthen redress for crime victims, to protect society and to help children leave the criminal path. This also provides a five-year window for preventive work to catch up with today's reality. The Prison and Probation Service is now tasked with preparing operations in the best way to receive the youngest target group, says Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer.

Age-appropriate adaptation

The Prison and Probation Service must adapt both facilities and operations based on the children's age. Younger children must be kept separate from older youth, and operations must comply with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

– When 13–14-year-olds are running around with automatic weapons, it must be met with society's full force. To protect others, they must be able to be locked up, and by lowering the age of criminal responsibility, we open up the police's toolbox. It gives us a chance to both stop continued violence and turn around the development for these children before it's too late, says Henrik Vinge (Sweden Democrats), chair of the justice committee in the Swedish Parliament.

Torsten Elofsson, legal policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats, points out that the need is urgent:

– The number of children, as young as 13–14 years old, committing serious violent crimes has increased dramatically. Measures to prevent this and to also take action after completed crimes are a must. At the same time, the execution needs to be adapted based on the perpetrator's age. It is welcome that the Prison and Probation Service is now tasked with examining how operations need to be adapted.

Martin Melin (Liberals) agrees:

– I have great confidence in the Prison and Probation Service and how they solve the strained situation they have, not least with the shortage of places. I am convinced that they will also be able to ensure that the 13 and 14-year-olds sentenced to prison will be taken care of in the best way.

Planned facilities and timeline

The Prison and Probation Service is planning special youth units for boys at the facilities in Högsbo, Rosersberg, Österåker, Kumla, Skenäs and Täby. For girls, units are planned at Ystad and Sagsjön. Implementation will occur in stages, and not all units will be operational from July 1, 2026.

On September 24, the Ministry of Justice sent out for consultation a draft legislative proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years for crimes with a minimum sentence of four years' imprisonment or more, as well as for attempts, preparation and conspiracy to commit such crimes. The proposal is currently time-limited to five years.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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