It was an expensive day at work for two Russian sailors who went ashore in Kirkenes in Finnmark on 12 January.
The police in Finnmark reported on Twitter that they had carried out an immigration check on two Russian sailors who went dressed in winter clothes.
According to the police, the clothing could be mistaken for military uniforms.
Now the Finnmark police district confirms that the Russian men were fined NOK 5,000 for walking around the northern Norwegian city wearing their work uniform.
iFinnmark mentioned the matter first.
Doubts whether Putin is alive
– Can create fear
The prosecuting officer, Martine Meslo, tells Dagbladet that the case was assessed as punishable under Section 165 of the Criminal Code, which deals with misuse of public uniforms.
– The fact that crews choose to walk around the city with camouflage clothing that can be mistaken for Russian military uniforms, we see, can create fear and discomfort – given Russia’s acts of war and the security political situation, both for the local population, but also among Ukrainian refugees who live here , says Meslo.
FINED: This Russian sailor also had to fork over NOK 5,000 because of the clothing. Photo: Finnmark police district.
sea view
On the uniform were, among other things, Russian flags and the word “Russia” written in Cyrillic letters.
– In border countries
Lawyer Bernt Heiberg at Elden Advokatfirma does not have direct knowledge of the investigation, but comments on the legal assessment of the police.
He believes the Russians should not be fined.
– The way the case is presented, I think that the police have gone too far by issuing a fine for something that does not appear to be punishable, he says to Dagbladet.
Heiberg believes that the uniforms have no real danger of being confused with public authority.
– Saying that you should try to invoke public authority in Russian uniforms is borderline at best, even if there are Cyrillic letters and a Russian flag, he says.
– Not usual
Russian sea vessels are considered a security threat, and are only allowed to call at three ports in Norway, points out prosecutor Meslo. This is one of the reasons why the investigation ended with a fine for the use of uniforms.
– There will always be an overall assessment of everything that has come to light during the investigation which is the basis of each individual case, without it being possible to draw a clear distinction between the type of uniform, says Meslo.
In other words, it is not illegal to wear camouflage clothing in general.
According to Meslo, it is also not common to see Russian sailors in this way.
– It has not been common for Russian fishing crews to have used such clothing in the past, she says.
Comparing
Lawyer Heiberg is skeptical of the police’s assessments, and draws a comparison to whether it should have been Finnish sailors who went ashore.
– A Finnish sailor would obviously not have been fined for doing that, and then we have to stay within the same principles of the rule of law that apply, says Heiberg.
It is a completely new practice from the police, believes Heiberg, who says that “he has never seen anything like it”. He hopes this is a one-off.
– If they had been my clients, my advice would have been to take the case further to the court, says the lawyer.
Both sailors accepted the proposal.
– I believe there are good reasons to question whether a subpoena should have been issued at all, says Heiberg.
Dagbladet has sent an inquiry to the Finnmark police district on Thursday afternoon, with Heiberg’s assessments. This has not been answered.
