Russian Svalbard prison out of question

“Svalbard is part of Norwegian territory. On the territory, the Norwegian state has a monopoly of power. In short, this means that any intervention against individuals requires authority in law,” says Governor Lars Fause to Dagbladet. 

It was earlier this week a Russian lawmaker Ivan Sukharev proposed to establish a high-security jail in the Norwegian archipelago. 

The Parliament member said such Arctic prison should exclusively house terrorists. Sukharev has already sent a letter with the proposal to the leader of Russian Federal Penitentiary Service. 

Russian repressive authorities have over the past years radically expanded the interpretation of terrorism and extremism. A big number of anti-war activists, journalists and regime-critics are today in jail across the country, convicted on charges of “terrorism” and “extremism”. 

Pyramiden is a closed-down Soviet-built settlement where coal from inside the permafrost was taken out and shipped to Murmansk. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

The Svalbard Treaty gives Russia rights to conduct economic activities at the archipelago. Moscow today runs a coal mine in the Russian settlement of Barentsburg and is exploring other options of activities, including tourism and Arctic science. 

Sukharev argues that the Arctic is the best suited place for such special prison because “the terrorists have no nationality or religion” and because the remote isolation “prevents the spreading of the extremist views among inmates.”

In addition to Svalbard, Russia’s own Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya could be another suitable location to isolate terrorists. 

Like Governor Fause, Oslo also flatly rejects the Russian lawmaker’s proposal.

“No one other than Norway can exercise public authority on Svalbard,” says State Secretary John-Erik Vika with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security to Dagbladet.