Norway Jails Conscription Offender for First Time Since 2006

A Norwegian court has sentenced a 25-year-old man to two weeks in prison for failing to report for compulsory military service, citing the war in Ukraine and the security situation in Europe as reasons for the custodial sentence.

Norway’s public broadcaster NRK reported this.

Norway has mandatory military service for both men and women, but not everyone serves. Conscripts are selected based on medical examinations and test results. The man had been selected and called up for service but failed to report by the specified date.

The Haugaland and Sunnhordland District Court found that the man was required to report to a military camp in spring 2023. He was aware of this obligation but failed to appear. At the same time, there was no evidence that he intended to evade military service permanently.

The prosecution sought a 30-day prison sentence. The court imposed two weeks in prison as an appropriate punishment, citing the war in Ukraine and the changing security situation in Europe.

This approach differs from Norway’s Supreme Court practice since 2006, when similar cases generally resulted in suspended sentences.

Militarnyi reported in August 2023 that the length of compulsory military service in several Norwegian units had been increased from 12 to 15 months. Depending on the assignment, it can now last from six to 18 months.