Norway has paid out around NOK 260 to 300 million in state compensation to victims of the 22 July 2011 attacks and their relatives, with individual awards ranging from about NOK 100,000 for some relatives to over NOK 600,000 for survivors with life-threatening injuries. Yet fifteen years on, there is still no formal, publicly documented restorative justice scheme in Norway allowing victims to engage in structured dialogue with the terrorist, even as one Danish woman’s act of forgiveness highlights the gap between personal healing and state justice.
Rie Balch Sørensen lost her sister on Utøya. She has now chosen to forgive Anders Behring Breivik. That decision, driven by her Christian faith, has no formal role in sentencing or detention decisions under Norwegian law. Breivik remains in preventive detention under Norway’s forvaring system, a 21-year sentence with a minimum term of 10 years that can be extended indefinitely. Norwegian courts have repeatedly ruled he is too dangerous to release, most recently in 2022.
Her forgiveness is personal, not procedural. Norwegian law does not list victim forgiveness as a factor in sentencing or security assessments. Under Norwegian procedural law, victims and relatives have the right to be informed about key decisions but no formal right to influence risk assessments or release decisions in forvaring cases. In high-risk cases like terrorism, victims generally have information rights but no formal say in release decisions in Norway and comparable Nordic systems, regardless of nationality. That is the reality for anyone affected by serious violence in the region, internationals included.
The Compensation Machine
According to figures from the Victim Compensation Office and subsequent media reporting, Norway has paid out around NOK 260 to 300 million in state criminal injury compensation to victims and relatives of the 22 July attacks. The Norwegian state’s victim compensation office processed around 1,000 related cases. Breivik killed 77 people, eight in an Oslo bombing and 69 at the AUF youth camp on Utøya. At least 209 were physically injured. Around 564 direct survivors from the island were tracked in official health studies three years later.
Published examples show individual awards typically ranging from about NOK 100,000 for some relatives to over NOK 600,000 for survivors with life-threatening injuries, with some parents and severely injured survivors receiving between NOK 250,000 and 1 million, depending on injury severity and loss of income. Lawyers interviewed in Norwegian media describe ordinary violent crime compensation for relatives in homicide cases as often in the low hundreds of thousands of kroner, meaning many 22 July awards were at the upper end of the usual scale. Danish compensation for bereaved relatives in homicide cases is typically significantly lower per person than the highest Norwegian 22 July awards, though funeral costs and lost income elements can be added.
The money does not erase trauma. A Norwegian study found around 49 percent of Utøya survivors met PTSD criteria 14 to 15 months after the attacks, and roughly 30 percent still had significant post-traumatic symptoms three years later. A ten-year follow-up study by Norwegian and Danish researchers showed persistently elevated rates of anxiety, depression, and PTSD among survivors and bereaved relatives compared to the general population.
Democracy Versus Danger
Then Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg framed the Norwegian response in a speech at Oslo Cathedral days after the attacks. He described them as an attack on democracy and urged more openness, not fear. Fifteen years on, that ideal coexists with one of the strictest confinement regimes in Europe.
Breivik was sentenced in 2012 under preventive detention rules designed for offenders judged too dangerous to release. The Oslo District Court found his acts constituted terrorism under Section 147a of the Penal Code. His stated ideological goal was to influence governmental decisions on immigration and multiculturalism. That is why his case sits in the terror category, not simple mass murder.
He has had multiple parole-like hearings since. Each time, Norwegian courts concluded he remains dangerous. In a 2022 ruling, judges summarised psychiatric and security assessments with clear language: he continues to promote extremist views and the risk of new serious criminal acts is extremely high. His forvaring was extended accordingly.
The Forgiveness Dilemma
Some religious leaders and therapists argue that personal forgiveness is associated with lower levels of depression and intrusive memories among trauma survivors. Within Christian communities in Norway and Denmark, forgiveness is framed as a spiritual discipline that sets the victim free from the perpetrator’s grip. Rie Balch Sørensen used similar language in her interview with TV 2, describing anger and hatred as quicksand that swallows you.
Some representatives from AUF and survivor organisations have publicly stated they do not forgive Breivik, emphasising his lack of remorse and continued extremist rhetoric during court appearances. Legal scholars warn that forgiveness can blur public understanding of accountability, particularly when a perpetrator sought publicity and might interpret it as moral validation.
Psychologists caution against pressuring victims to forgive. They advocate for a distinction between letting go and formal forgiveness. Both Norway and Denmark provide extensive compensation and treatment, but there are no formal, publicly documented restorative justice programs for terror cases like Breivik’s.
What Changed Since 2011
Norway has tightened its terror laws, built a national memorial and education centre on Utøya, and repeatedly reviewed Breivik’s confinement. The Norwegian Parliament passed security law amendments after 22 July, increasing maximum sentences for terror offences and expanding surveillance powers. These laws provide the framework within which Breivik will remain imprisoned regardless of individual victims’ forgiveness.
One national memorial project in Hole municipality was initially budgeted at around NOK 40.5 million, but total costs later rose to over NOK 500 million including delays and legal fees, according to reporting on the 2011 Norway attacks. A national 22 July Centre and permanent Utøya memorial have since been established with state funding and AUF involvement.
Practical Steps for Victims
For people in Denmark affected by terror or severe violence, including internationals, the most practical steps involve early registration with victim support schemes. Denmark has police-linked victim counselling services offering free psychological and legal support. They are generally available regardless of nationality.
The Danish Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund allows victims and relatives to claim compensation for violent offences. Eligibility depends on residence and where the crime occurred, not on citizenship or emotional stance towards the offender. Official guidance stresses early contact with police and documentation of injuries, income loss, and medical treatment as crucial for successful claims.
Denmark’s 2015 Copenhagen shootings produced similar patterns. One of the two people killed was a Jewish security volunteer holding Israeli citizenship and living in Denmark. The case underlined that internationals and dual nationals can be directly affected by Nordic terror incidents and are eligible for Danish victim compensation schemes.
Rie Balch Sørensen’s forgiveness is her own. The Norwegian state’s response is something else entirely. Both can be true at once. That is the uncomfortable reality fifteen years after Utøya.
