Labor Party, Politics | Law professor believes Labor proposal is illegal: – Forced labour

– There will be fewer years on the labor market, and we will lose one year of trained specialists. I think that does great damage to Norwegian society. The new proposal is legally illegal, says law professor at the University of Bergen, Hans Fredrik Marthinussen, to Nettavisen.

On Tuesday, NRK’s ​​”Debate” addressed the question of whether conscription should be reintroduced for absolutely everyone who has finished upper secondary school. Figures from 2023 show that out of a cohort of 50,000, approximately 9,000 complete first-time service, a figure the current government wants to increase to 13,600.

Also read: Will reintroduce conscription for 19-year-olds: – Everyone must be included

The Stavanger Labor Party will increase the number of conscripts for regular first-time service, and they will greatly increase the limits and the number of people admitted to the Civil Defense.

In addition, Dag Mossige (Ap) proposes the following:

– We envision a variant for the civil service where you can be used in humanitarian organizations and perhaps in the healthcare system, he said on NRK’s ​​broadcast.

There were several people in the studio who were strongly opposed to the proposal, including Nettavisen’s editor-in-chief Gunnar Stavrum and Unge Venstre leader Ane Breivik.

The latter called the proposal “authoritarian” and thought it could not solve the challenges Norway is facing.

Also read: Stavanger Labor Party proposes state slave labor for 19-year-olds

Believes the proposal is illegal

Marthinussen is also strongly against the proposal from a legal perspective. He believes that, as the proposal stands now, it contravenes the European Convention on Human Rights.

– The ECHR has a ban on forced labour, and there is no doubt that if they want to ask young people to work for low wages or for free, then it is forced labour. Military service and, for countries that accept conscientious objection, civil service for conscientious objectors are exceptions. Today’s proposal does not work, says Marthinussen to Nettavisen.

Nettavisen has been in contact with the Stavanger Labor Party at Day Mossige. He does not wish to comment on the matter.

However, he said in “The Debate” that far too few are serving their conscription, and that 15 per cent from the 2023 cohort is not good enough.

– We want far more young people today to have the opportunity to show that they are needed by society. It is right to make demands on everyone and everyone must put up with it, said Mossige.

Also read: Norwegian defense will not improve by forcing all young people to do a year of community service

– Not a good enough reason

Marthinussen believes that this type of statement does not fit in with liberal democracies.

– We are built on the individual’s freedom and there must be a good enough justification for intervention so that one does not violate our principles.

The law professor emphasizes that he sees nothing in the way of expanding the military service and using more conscripts in the country.

– But saying that you have to, for example, work in a nursing home in Lofoten is clearly outside the rules. There is no reason for this rule change, and it will be stopped, Marthinussen believes.

Mossige and his party colleagues in the Rogaland Labor Party have decided to investigate the introduction of a year of compulsory military service. This is something that will be presented to the Labor Party’s national meeting later this year.