Law after July 22, 2011: Survivors, Memory and Reconstruction

The paper examines the 'socio-legal ripple effects' of the July 22, 2011 attacks in Norway, arguing that the state primarily utilized ordinary legal institutions and welfare schemes rather than ad-hoc mechanisms to manage the aftermath. It analyzes how this reliance on ordinary law shaped the allocation of financial resources, the definition of 'victim' identity, and the judicialization of conflicts surrounding national memorials and the demolition of the Y-block in the Government Quarter.

• The Norwegian state responded to the extraordinary events of July 22 by primarily employing ordinary institutions, rules, and welfare state processes rather than creating specialized or ad-hoc schemes common in other countries.
• While the state used ordinary schemes, the events of July 22 did trigger specific regulatory changes, such as raising the maximum criminal injuries compensation limit from 40 to 60 times the National Insurance basic amount (G) in spring 2012, a change applied retroactively to incidents after January 1, 2011.
• The use of ordinary legal frameworks created a tension where the bureaucracy's discretionary power determined compensation levels through 'pilot cases,' leading some survivors to feel their individual stories were ignored in favor of standardized groups.
• The law acted as a gatekeeper for victim identity, with the Norwegian Supreme Court upholding a strict interpretation of 'objective criteria' that initially excluded individuals who provided help on the shore side of Utøya from being classified as victims.
• Memorialization processes became judicialized through bureaucratic procedures and legal mobilization, exemplified by local residents in the municipality of Hole using the Norwegian Neighboring Properties Act to contest the location of the national memorial.
• The reconstruction of the Government Quarter has been characterized by a 'comprehensive securitization' and significant legal conflict over the demolition of the Y-block, which conservationists argued was decided by a fiscal 'concept study' rather than a professional cultural heritage assessment.
• Legal mobilization against the demolition of the Y-block was ultimately unsuccessful after the Norwegian parliament (Storting) voted down a proposal to postpone the demolition, and the Oslo District Court rejected the request for a temporary injunction.

APA

Sandvik, K. B., Ikdahl, I., Lohne, K., Vestad, M. V. S., Sørlie, A., & Moe-Pryce, M. (2022). Law after July 22, 2011: Survivors, Memory and Reconstruction. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a28d72c7-b931-47d3-8503-caa3c6943fbb/Sandvik et al - Law after July 22 2011 Survivors Memory and Reconstruction PRIO Paper 2022.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Sandvik, Kristin Bergtora, Ingunn Ikdahl, Kjersti Lohne, Maja Viktoria Spigseth Vestad, Anniken Sørlie, and Marit Moe-Pryce. Law after July 22, 2011: Survivors, Memory and Reconstruction. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2022. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a28d72c7-b931-47d3-8503-caa3c6943fbb/Sandvik et al - Law after July 22 2011 Survivors Memory and Reconstruction PRIO Paper 2022.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sandvik |first1=Kristin Bergtora |last2=Ikdahl |first2=Ingunn |last3=Lohne |first3=Kjersti |last4=Vestad |first4=Maja Viktoria Spigseth |last5=Sørlie |first5=Anniken |last6=Moe-Pryce |first6=Marit |title=Law after July 22, 2011: Survivors, Memory and Reconstruction |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2022 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a28d72c7-b931-47d3-8503-caa3c6943fbb/Sandvik et al - Law after July 22 2011 Survivors Memory and Reconstruction PRIO Paper 2022.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sandvik2022law, author = {Sandvik, Kristin Bergtora and Ikdahl, Ingunn and Lohne, Kjersti and Vestad, Maja Viktoria Spigseth and Sørlie, Anniken and Moe-Pryce, Marit}, title = {{Law after July 22, 2011: Survivors, Memory and Reconstruction}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2022}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/a28d72c7-b931-47d3-8503-caa3c6943fbb/Sandvik et al - Law after July 22 2011 Survivors Memory and Reconstruction PRIO Paper 2022.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }